Once Upon a Game
by LadyRed14
Summary: Our tale features Link and Rhoswen, two normal high schoolers that are transported to another dimension into the world of Hyrule. Upon meeting each other they not only learn that they are each other's favorite video game character, but that they are fated to save the kingdom of Hyrule from the clutches of evil. Now if only they could find their way around...
1. Prequel - Part One: Her Morning

For the third time that morning, her snooze alarm went off. Groaning, she rolled over and stretched her arm up to where her alarm was and once more pressed snooze. Curling up again, she stared blankly at the wall with eyes filled with sleep and anger at the morning light. Well, maybe not anger, just extreme dissatisfaction and annoyance.

'School, I gotta get up for school. I gotta get ready for school,' she mumbled to herself in her head quietly. She tried to get herself motivated, but her body just wouldn't have it. The bed was so warm compared to the rest of the room, her body just didn't want to leave. It didn't help she had stayed up late finishing a section of the new game in her favorite series the night before. Suddenly there was a pounding at the door.

She jumped as best as one can lying down in bed and buried herself under her blankets. The pounding was really more like a knocking, but it sounded much louder to her still awakening ears. "Honey, are you up yet?" Her mom asked through the in a gruff sleepy voice filled with concern and annoyance in being awoken from the snooze alarm repeatedly.

She peered out from under her covers over at the door. "Yes, I'm up," she replied to the door. The alarm started beeping once more, so she reached over to shut it off once and for all that morning.

"Well, just make sure you're not late. School waits for no one." Her mother replied before shuffling down the hall and down the stairs back to her bed room and back to the comforts of her own bed. Like mother, like daughter.

Lugging herself out of bed, she threw on some pants and a shirt. She then realized that maybe a bra might be a good idea and went about fixing that. Fumbling, she managed to locate both of her heels from underneath her bed. She wasn't the most popular girl in school, but she could wear heels better than any girl and still feel comfortable (as long as she wasn't standing for hours on end.). Hell, she could run in them. She then sat on the edge of her bed and proceeded to brush her long brown hair, somewhat still taking in the morning.

Glancing over at the clock, which read 7:25, she calculated 20 minutes before she had to leave to make it in time for the bell. 'What do I want for breakfast, ' she pondered. 'Cereal? No. Eggs? Ew, no. Really I think I'd prefer no breakfast, but since I'll wish I had something in my stomach later, I guess I'll go with cereal.'

Walking out to the bathroom first, she applied her contacts and looked at herself in the mirror. 'Yup, I look like a zombie.' She walked down the hall towards the kitchen. 'But at least I look like a sexy zombie,' she smiled to herself. She scarfed down her Coco Pebbles knock off and quickly threw together her lunch and daily snacks, along with the five giant water bottles she took each day.

Suiting up and heading out the door, she got a block and a half away before realizing she had forgotten her Mp3. As the late September morning sun shined and a light wind softly flowed past her, she thought and agreed to herself that it still felt like a mild summer. The seasons didn't change much around there until the last second. As she came up on the corner, she looked both ways before attempting to cross the street. However, just as she lifted up her foot to move forward, a surprisingly strong wind blew right past her. It was strong enough that her small frame was forced to move with it along the curb and shut her eyes tight to prevent her hair from whipping them.

The wind left just as suddenly as it had appeared. Moving her loose hair from out in front of her face before opening her eyes, she did a double take of blinking. Straightening her hunched body, she just turned and stared at the vast grassy field that now expanded from every direction she stood at. Behind where she was standing, she could see a forest in the distance. In front, rolling hills covered in the same long grass that grew in height until they blended into the mountains far off. She stood speechless for a few moments until being able to make some sort of comment. "The hell…?" Suddenly it occurred to her that she was standing in the middle of some tall grass. Snakes like tall grass… You can't see snakes in tall grass…

She froze for a moment before bolting off towards the forest to escape from the imaginary snakes in her head. All the while wishing she didn't have her backpack to weigh her down and hoping this was all some dream because she had accidently fallen asleep after turning off her alarm.


	2. Prequel - Part Two: His Morning

For the fifth time, and second that morning, he stood in front of the ominous doors that leered far above him. Opening then, he walked inside to once again face the dark lord. No way was he going to lose this time. He couldn't, his pride was on the line here. Grimacing he waited through the dark lord's speech for the battle to begin.

Suddenly the battle started! He dodged and attacked in the pattern he had learned in his four previous attempts. Using everything he had he attacked. Suddenly the dark lord used his damaging attack and he couldn't get out of the way in time. Panicking, he went to grab a potion to heal the majority of what the devastating blow had taken from him. That's when he noticed, he had forgotten to stock up!

How could a pro like him forget such a thing! Especially for something so important! He hung his head in shame as the enemy delivered the final blow, and he died once more… he dropped the controller to the floor in defeat and covering his face with a pillow from the couch, screamed right into it.

"Hey, big bro, what's going on?"

Turning to look behind the couch, his little sister stood in the opening to the living room in her night gown looking rather sleepy. He felt rather sheepish being caught acting as such. "Just finishing my game. Or trying to at least…"

"All that noise over a game? Isn't that a bit over the top?" she moved to the couch and leaned right over the back towards the screen, standing on her tiptoes as she wasn't quiet tall enough. "Oh, I see your still at that spot. I thought you were supposed to be the expert." She grinned looking over at him.

"Shut up." He mumbled, getting up to turn the console off, facing away from her. "It's my first time playing it. Setbacks like this are to be expected." Of all the 9 year olds in the world, why did he have to get stuck with her as a sister?

"Right, because losing the final boss fight seventeen times in a row is to be expected," his sister giggled mischievously. She always knew how to hit a nerve.

He scowled at first but then got an evil idea. Turning to face her he smiled "happily", "Really, it's been only 5 times." He began to walk towards her, "Sides, as I recall, whenever you play any of the games you have someone else play 85% of it for you."

"…Big bro… why are you smiling like that…?" Suddenly she realized and turned to flee, but it was too late. He lunged at the couch and using his strong arms pulled her over the back and began to mercilessly tickle her. Her laughter was uncontrollable. In between giggles and snorts she pleaded him to stop with a big grin on her face.

"What do ya say?" He grinned big as he tickled her sides. "Come on, say it!"

She had a hard time working out the words but finally managed. "Un…cle…Uncle… UNCLE!"

He immediately stopped tickling her and released his hold on her. She tumbled to the floor still laughing and gasping for air. When she had finally gained control of herself she looked at him and stuck out her tongue as far as she could at him. Smiling, he reached down and grabbed it between his thumb and his index. "You know that's rude, right?" He gave it a quick shake and let go.

She fell back against the coffee table. She looked up like she was going to say something, but then cocked her head to the side. "Ummm… Have you looked at the clock recently?"

"Huh, why?" He turned around to look at the clock above the door way and just about fainted when he saw the time. It was 7:52, meaning he had 8 minutes until the first bell rang. How had he lost track of the time!? He ran like a chicken with his head cut off, gathering his things. He didn't have time to make a lunch now, so he'd just have to buy or bum at school.

His sister just stood there calmly, watching him run around. "Why aren't you rushing to get ready, Miss-still-in-your-night-gown?" He asked while pulling on his coat.

She acted slightly surprised at his question. "I have a dentist appointment, remember?" She playfully tapped her knuckles to her head.

He stared at her while pulling on his backpack. Five minutes and counting. Coming to his senses, he rushed out the door and off to school, forgetting to pull the door shut behind him. His sister stood in the doorway for a moment, watching him rush down the street to school. "Bye Big Bro!" She called out after him before closing the door.

He couldn't believe this was happening to him. He was almost never late. Why, why him? His stomach growled in displeasure in having been forgotten in the morning rush. He winced and closed his eyes at the slight pain from his stomach's temper tantrum. Just as he opened them a strong wind blew out of nowhere, causing him to lose his balance and topple to the ground mid gait. He closed his eyes put his arms up to protect his face from the sidewalk closing in. He braced himself for impact and felt the …grass?

He had been headed straight for the pavement. Why was he feeling grass? Looking around he found himself in the middle of a meadow. Ahead of him, about half a football field, he saw a ravine splitting the meadow in two. Blinking as he slowly stood himself up, he looked around. Far a ways to his left he say a large wooden bridge linking both sides of the ravine. The bridge appeared to be a part of a major road way. Hearing noises behind him, he looked and saw travelers coming up the road on his side towards the bridge.

"Great," he thought. "Now I'm really going to be late for school." Pulling up his back pack, he headed off towards the strangers, hoping they would be able to help him out. Or at least not rob him.


	3. Chapter 1 - Strangers in the Land

He ran across the meadow, trying to flag down the group of people headed towards the bridge. "Hello, HEY! Can you help!? HELLO?" He called out trying to get their attention. He began to wave his arms about in a frantic attempt to gain their attention.

Over in the group of travelers, the men were just heading back to camp after completing jobs in the nearby village. The middle aged man driving the front wagon was the first to notice the stranger running across the field at them yelling and waving his arms about. Looking out from under his wide brimmed hat he stopped the slow paced horses and spoke loudly pointing the running man out to the other 26 in his group. They all stopped and stared at him as he came running up to them, panting and gasping for breath, except for one man, probably in his mid-30's, that went into the back of the brightly colored lead wagon.

"Can…can…can you…help me…out…please?" he was gasping hard for air after running all the way. Looking back, he estimated he had run about two football fields worth. Returning his gaze to the band of travelers, he saw a teen boy not much younger than himself, probably about 16 or 15, offering him a water flask. "Thank you." Taking the flask, he drank the cool, refreshing water being careful not drink most or all the boy's water. He handed the flask back while wiping the water from his bristly chin. "Thank you very much."

"No problem," The boy replied with an accent. He couldn't place it, but it sounded like a mix between Russian and Spanish. All of the men had a ragged look about them, almost like they were solely laborers. But not quiet that either. Maybe they were… gypsies?

"What seems to be the issue?" an older gentleman asked him with the same accent.

Still breathing heavy, but not hard enough that he couldn't speak incoherently, he responded. "I have no idea where I am. This is going to sound crazy, but one minute I was in town running down the street, and the next minute I was on the ground here. I know I sound like a loony, but it's the truth."

The men all stared at him for a moment, exchanging quick glances to each other, before all breaking out in an enormous belly laugh.

"I think he's been hitting the grog to much this one!" said one man.

"Naw, don't you know? He scorned his local sorceress, so she used a spell to send him elsewhere," Mocked one.

"If you were hoping to hitch a ride to the nearest village you should have used a better story. Sides, we just came from there and have no intentions of returning." Chortled another

He just stood there while everyone just laughed and mocked him. He clenched his fists and shut his eyes tight from anger and frustration. "It's the truth, I swear!"

While everyone was still laughing, the back of the lead wagon opened up and out stepped the man that had entered earlier, followed by an elderly man hunched over and smoking a long pipe. He was wrinkly all over and had a red and orange handkerchief tied around his head to hide his thinning hair. "Why is everyone laughing at this youngster?" The elderly man asked loudly, causing silence to fall.

"Grandpa Mivka, this boy say-"a heavily bearded man started with a chortle but was abruptly cut off.

"I heard what he said." Snapped the old man, peering down at the bearded man. "The boy's tale has truth to his words. It's no laughing matter." Turning towards the boy he softened his gaze, but not by much. "Young lad, would you like to ride in the wagon with me, away from these ruffians?" He asked, knocking on the wagon.

He swallowed, but before he could answer the elderly man, he turned around and went back inside the wagon. "Well come along, we haven't got all day, boy."

The man in his mid-30's crossed his arms. He was a tall, strong man and very intimidating with fiery red hair and small golden hoops in both ears. "You all heard Grandpa Mivka, now stop your gawking and get back to the road. The women are back at camp are waiting for our return." Turning to look at the stranger, his gaze kept its intimidating look. "Are you going to stand around all day or are you going to get in the wagon?"

The man's stare and pose frightened him, so all he could do was gulp and quickly move towards the now moving wagon. He grabbed the red hand hold to the side of the door and jumped up on the steps. It took him a couple seconds to get his balance but once he did he opened the door and slipped inside.

Inside it smelt heavily of whatever it was the man was smoking; it smelt of smoke, musk, and a slight undertone of something bitter. The old man was sitting in the back of the small wagon in a chair next to a small table against the wall, both of which were fastened to the floor to prevent them from sliding all about. The old man just stared at him while smoking and gestured to the seat across from him.

Sliding his bag from his shoulder to the floor he sat across from him, feeling very uncomfortable.

The old man just stared at him smoking his long pipe, as though he were feeling him out. This only made the teen more uncomfortable. Finally the old man shifted and held out his pipe. "Care for a smoke?"

He was unsure what to do at first, but decided it would be rude to decline. He reached over and grabbed the pipe, making Mivka smirk. Bringing it to his lips, he hesitated before taking a big huff of smoke in. Big mistake. The smoke burned all the way down his windpipe and into his lungs, as though he had inhaled tabasco sauce. And the taste! It was exactly as it smelt, only ten times worse and way more bitter. Coughing and hacking, he covered his mouth and handed back the pipe. "Thank you." He puffed.

The old man just chuckled as he took back his pipe and took another long draw. "Most don't fare my mixture much better," he chuckled, "But then again most don't breathe it in that deep either," He puffed and let out a smoke ring and leaned back. "I've been expecting you to show up; I just didn't think you'd be this late."

Still trying to exhume the smoke from his lungs, he looked questioningly at Mivka. "You've been expecting me?"

"Yes, I have. I've been expecting you since 5 day ago, the morning we left to do work in the village. And I must say you just about had me worried."

"That I wouldn't show up?" He asked quizzically.

"No, that my sister had finally lost her touch." He responded, letting out another smoke ring. "She told me the morning we were leaving to be on the lookout for a young man running across a field towards us and to bring him back to camp when we found him." He pointed his pipe at the boy and waved it in a couple quick circles at him. "That'd be you."

"How did your sister know I would be coming here?" He asked, more than a little concerned now.

"She has a family gift. Our mother had it; her mother had it, and so on and so forth. My sister, she gets burst of premonitions every now and then. Mostly about important things. And apparently you're important." Grandpa Mivka smirked. "So do you know why you're important enough that my sister urged me to pick you up?"

"No, sir, I don't." Weird factor of this conversation was now at 85% and rising.

"Please, call me Grandpa Mivka." Adjusting himself in his seat he looked mischievously serious at him. "So let's see if we can figure out why. Let's start with the basics: Care to tell me your name?"

* * *

She had been walking along the edge between the field and the forest for some time now. She didn't want to go straight into the forest because she didn't want to get lost or worse. And she didn't want to stay in the field because she didn't know what was lurking in the tall grass. Spotting a stump up ahead, she quickly ran over to it to sit down. She had been walking for who knows how long now, and her feet were starting to hurt in these heels.

Upon reaching the stump, she dropped her backpack and large lunch bag to the ground and flopped herself on top of it. Taking off her shoes then unzipping her bag, she pulled out one of her water bottles and drank a little bit from it; being careful to conserve her resources as she didn't know how long she'd be stranded alone. She took in the view around her while she sat and pondered. It was a beautiful scene, watching the hills seemingly roll gracefully. She grabbed a granola bar and leaned back, taking in the full beauty of her surroundings.

'I wonder where I am?' She asked herself, indulging in the chocolate chip granola bar. 'This is just like something that would happen in a fantasy story. Teen going about their day, then suddenly they're swept off to a magical land where they haven't the foggiest idea what's going on.'

She munched some more on the bar. 'Usually in those stories they end up having to save the kingdom and are known throughout the land as a hero in the end.' Her eyes shined at the prospect of going on a magical adventure just like in her favorite video game. To hold a sword and strike down evil to save a land from impending doom, she had always imagine stories like that happening to her. But for it to actually happen, dream or not, she was starting to like this idea.

Finishing her bar and throwing the wrapper in her massive lunch bag, she picked up her water and drank a little bit more from it. 'Of course I doubt I'm really hero material. I don't even know how to use a sword properly, and I know for sure I don't have some unknown talent in sword play.' She thought, thinking back to the brief fencing lessons she had been taught in theater class in school. 'Yeah, I defiantly don't have a hidden talent.'

Throwing her head back to the sky, she pondered out loud. "Besides, even if this is like one of those tales, I haven't even seen anything showing this is a magical land. For all I know this is a regular, run-of-the-mill land I'm in." She hung her head in potential disappointment. "Wouldn't that just be my luck?"

She put her water back in her lunch bag, figuring she had been stalling around long enough. Putting her heels back on and grabbing her bags, she straightened herself up with an air of determination. "Well, even if this isn't a magical land, I can still be an explorer. Onwards and upwards!" she declared thrusting her right arm above her head, extending her index finger. Going forth with a new found energy, she set forth following the line between the forest and the field once more.

However, she didn't get more than a couple of feet before she heard a rustling in the woods to her left. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned her head towards the thick brush that the noise was coming from. 'Please just be a rabbit, please just be a rabbit. PLEASE don't be a bear!' She thought nervously to herself as the sound came closer towards her. She was out in the middle of nowhere, no one would hear her screams if she was attacked by a bear. If she was lucky, in a couple of weeks someone would come across the horrifying remains of her body, after the bear and other wild creatures had snacked from it of course. This image only made her fears worse.

As the sound came closer, she visually started to tremble. She could now tell that whatever it was, it was too large to be a rabbit. She was too young to die, not to mention it was too early in her story for her to die. Was this how her story ended? She was about ready to turn tale and run for it when whatever it was finally emerged from the bush. It wasn't a rabbit like she had hoped for, but it defiantly not a bear either.

What stood before her was a large stag with enormous antlers. It was covered with a thick fur, which was unusual given the warm, almost early summer, temperature. It had deep hazel eyes that stood out from its fur and stared directly at her. They stared at her in a friendly manner with an ancient feeling. She felt her fear disappear from her and she sheepishly looked back at the stag with a smile and gave a small wave. The stag took a couple steps forward where the light was a bit better, and that's when she gave a small gasp. This massive stag had a gold shimmer all over it, almost like the tips of each hair had been dipped in gold. And its antlers and hooves had a stronger golden color to them, as though they had been lightly painted with a dry brush. She stood there in awe, taking in the beauty of this magnificent creature that stood before her; almost certain now that this was indeed a magical land. The stag just stared at her holding a majestic pose, almost as if it were the king of the forest. Yet it seemed to be trying to tell her something, something important….

She stepped forward lightly, slowly raising her hand in hopes it would let her pet its muzzle…

Instantly, it turned tail and ran into the forest. Almost as if compelled, she ran after it through the brush. The forest wasn't heavy with vegetation, so she could clearly see the stag ahead of her bounding and leaping through the forest. She had a hard time keeping up (with the heels and heavy bags weighing her down) but every time she thought she had lost track of it, there he would suddenly be up ahead, waiting patiently and looking at her as if to say "Follow me, I have something important to show you."

She followed the stag for probably 10 or 15 minutes, until finally it veered to the right and disappeared into some bushes. Expecting the deer to be waiting for her on the other side, she leaped through with vigor and stumbled out the other side in a small clearing. It took her a quick couple seconds to get her balance, holding out her arms to help steady herself. Suddenly she froze. Looking up she realized the golden deer was nowhere in sight, but there sure was a group of ladies, about 5, in the middle of picking fruit from trees, looking at her strangely. She quickly composed herself, and for the second time that morning, she smiled sheepishly and gave a small wave. The women just stared, a couple waved back.

"Um… Hello," she said nervously and embarrassed.

**_ "_**Hel…lo?" one of the women asked back quizzically, as if unsure how to react to the sudden stranger in their midst. She spoke with a heavy accent, kinda like Russian and… something else she couldn't put her finger on.

"Hehe, "The girl chuckled nervously, "Um… did any of you see a deer run through here, by any chance?" she rubbed the back of her head embarrassed by the awkwardness of the situation. The women just stared at her shaking their heads. Yes, this was defiantly awkward for both sides.

More nervous chuckling. "Well, thank you anyways; I should probably get going now." She was just about to turn tail and leave these women to their gathering when suddenly the sound of children giggling filled the air and out of nowhere young girls aging from 5 to about 9 exploded out of the trees on the far side and came running at the women. They were jumping and hollering and singing in a foreign language, in a manner that very much resembled nursery rhymes. The women in the glade were still shocked from the stranger in their midst, but that didn't stop them from hugging and kissing their daughters. Following behind were more women of all ages and girls aging from about 9 to 12 carrying baskets filled with fruit, herbs, spices, and other vegetation found in the woods.

The young stranger just smiled nervously and was turning to sneak away in all the chaos when suddenly a powerful voice rang out causing everyone to fall silent and stare. "You!" The young teen stopped in her tracks and she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. A thin elderly woman in about her 60's marched through the crowd of women and right up to the girl. Grabbing her right hand she spun her around quickly so that they were face to face.

"Me?" the girl asked meekly, trying to make herself as small as possible and hoping the ground would just eat her up right then and there.

"You," the old woman stared at her, wisps of wavy light gray hair fell in her face past the orange scarf in her hair that kept the rest back, her large, elaborate gold earrings dangled back and forth as she spoke. "I've been expecting you."


	4. Chapter 2 - The Realization

She just stared with wide eyes at the elderly woman gripping her wrist. She wanted to yank her arm away and ask the woman just what the hell she was talking about, but after all of the shock she had endured that morning, all she could manage was a stuttered "Wha-wha?"

"I've been expecting," The woman's gaze was unfaltering, but now she had a slight smile. "I have a gift of sorts, and it told about you and to expect you." The woman let go of her wrist and it fell to her side; grasping her now free wrist, she backed a few steps away from the woman. "I know that you come from a place much different than here and that you were suddenly hurdled from your world into ours."

"You... do?" The teen was wary of this woman now. She didn't know whether or not to trust this lady who seemed to know things about her before she even said them. But then again these were the first people she had seen all day and she didn't know where the nearest village was, not to mention she was now in the middle of the woods and didn't know her way out.

"Come with us back to our camp, Child, and I will explain everything to you this evening," the woman stretched out her towards her with a friendly smile and warm eyes.

"Why this evening? Why not now?" she asked, partially demanding, but mostly curious.

"Because the final piece to the puzzle has not appeared yet," The woman replied. "Now will you come with us, Child, or will I have to bring you?" The woman asked, implying that one way or another that she was going to be ending up at the camp whether she wanted to or not.

Closing her eyes and breathing sharply, she thought about how the stag had led her directly to this spot, as though she was meant to be here. Slowly letting the air escape through her nose, she looked at the woman and took her hand. "I'll go with you."

* * *

After all the women had been rounded up and supplies gathered, they all set off back towards camp through the woods. The elderly woman was heading the group, leading the way. Walking a few steps behind the woman, she just stared at the ground, not knowing what to say or do. Looking up at the sky and shielding her eyes, she figured it was about noon now. Meaning she had been here for close to 4 hours. Sighing she hung her head again. Her feet were killing here despite her natural talent for walking in heels, and she knew for a fact that her pale complexion would be paying dearly for this unannounced sun time later in a very uncomfortable manner.

"You're rather quiet back here." She suddenly snapped back to reality and saw that the elderly lady had slowed her pace to walk right next to her. "I don't think we've been formally introduced. I'm known as Grandma Vanabia in my camp." The woman looked over at her. "What is your name, Child?"

"…Ava. My friends call me Ava." She replied, looking straight ahead. Farther up, she could see the woods clearing into a field. She cringed and gave up a silent prayer that no snakes would appear.

Vanabia chuckled. "I can tell you are telling a fib, Child."

A vibe of shock ran through her body. How could this woman tell that? They had just only met. She looked at Vanabia with a meek smile. "Well, it's not a total lie. My friends really do call me Ava. "She chuckled nervously. "I went through a phase a couple years ago where I wanted to go by a different name after I move, and the name just kinda stuck with me."

"Do not worry, Ava." Vanabia chuckled with a wink. "A fib is different than a lie. No harm was done."

A breath of relief escaped from her lips. "So, Grandma Vanabia, was it? How exactly did you know I would be coming? I mean, that gift you mentioned earlier, what is it exactly?"

"Curious girl, aren't you?" Grandma Vanabia asked slyly, "I suppose it is only natural for one to have such questions after being thrusted in to a predicament such as yours. Very well, I shall answer your question. But not in too much detail as I am not fond of repeating myself."

"What does that have to do with anything?" She asked confused. Her brain had already been scrambled enough today, and now this lady wasn't going explain it to her clearly? She might as well say good bye to her sanity already.

"You'll find out this evening," Vanabia replied coyly. They were just on the edge of the woods where it broke away into the field. "But first, I think we should stop for food. It has been awhile since they ate this early morning." Turning on her heels to face the crowd of woman, Vanabia spoke in a loud clear voice. "Ladies, let us eat our lunches here, while we still have shade to enjoy."

In about 8 minutes, they had set up small picnicking groups underneath the trees and enjoying meals of dried meat, cheese, fruits, and nuts from within handkerchiefs and pouches that they were carrying. Vanabia pulled the newcomer off to the side, secluded from the others, and laid out her own handkerchief with her same lunch beside herself where she had chosen to settle in the soft grass. "There is plenty here to share with you, Ava. You must be hungry after this morning."

"Thank you, but I actually do have my own lunch, surprisingly." She smiled as she pulled out the lunch she had packed for school, consisting of a provolone and roast beef sandwich, a plastic baggie of chips, and a large red apple along with a cup of tapioca pudding she had managed to procure from her dad the day before.

Grandma Vanabia just stared at the strange lunch she was setting out and shook her head. Refocusing herself, she returned to the question that had been presented to her. "Now, about my gift that you are wonder about. It is a family gift, and it allows me to glean bits of the future at times."

"So you're kinda like a fortune teller than?"

Vanabia's eyes fell flat at the statement. "No. Fortune tellers predict what it is that will make a person wealthy, whether it be with money or some personal fulfillment like love. My gift shows me important events that either prelude to life changing moments or things that must be helped along in order for fate to run its correct and true course."

"So is this life changing or fate here?" Came out between bits of sandwich, hidden behind a hand.

Ignoring her question, Vanabia continued. "Usually they come to me in either dreams or flashes of visions during the day. I once saw one in a bucket of the surface of fresh milk." Vanabia grinned at the memory from her youthful days. "It is a gift passed from mother to daughter, reaching back more than a hundred generations. But do not mistake it for a toy: it is a duty I am held to, to use properly and correctly." She stated sternly, looking right at Ava.

"Cause with great power comes great responsibility, right?" She set down her sandwich and grabbed her apple.

Grandma Vanabia blinked a few times, taking in the phrase. "That is a well-fitting and wise saying. I must remember that for future use."

Smiling and shaking her head, she bit into her apple enjoying the crispness and full flavor behind its skin. She pondered how many references she could pop throughout the day.

* * *

Sitting outside the wagon, the old man had moved their game of cards outside while they waited for the soup to cook. Adjusting himself on his box, he looked at Grandpa Mivka across the crate and then back down at his hand. Keeping his cards in his right hand, he put his left index finger on the card he thought was his best bet, then looked up to his right at the tall, red haired man whose name he had found out was Avko. Avko shook his head slightly. Looking back at his cards, he picked out his second guess and looked back at Avko. Avko waited a moment, and then slightly nodded his head.

"Well, come on, we haven't got all day." The old man said gruffly, getting slightly impatient. How hard was it to understand a simple card game?

Very hard if you were just learning and had only had the rules rushed at you. Slowly pulling the approved card from his hand, he placed it on the crate in front of him face up. Maybe this time…

Mivka just smirked and shook his head. "You lose again boy." He placed his own chosen card on the table face up. Avko grinned and shook his head.

Placing his arm on the makeshift table, he buried his head in the crook of his arm and gave out a loud exasperated sigh. "I give. This game doesn't make heads or tails to me." Both Mivka and Avko responded to this with roars of laughter. Groaning, he peered at the old man over the top of his arm. Somehow, he had the feeling these men were playing him. At least there wasn't money involved, or else he might be in real trouble. He grabbed his stomach with his left hand, wishing the food would finish cooking already so he could satisfy his still neglected belly. It was about noon, and he hadn't eaten anything since the two pop tarts he had snuck away last night.

His prayers were answer when he heard the loud ringing of the ladle on the pot. "Soups done!" He heard a man yell.

Perking up, he sat up and started to stand up when he felt Avko's strong hand grab his shoulder and roughly pull him back into his seat. Looking up at the man, who still towered over him even kneeling down, he saw him shake his head. "Wait." Slouching over in disappointment and loss of hope, his mood was soon rejuvenated when he saw a man balancing three bowls walking over his way. It seemed like forever before he made it over to them. When he finally did, the man kneeled down and passed out the bowls. "One for Grandpa Mivka, one for Avko," he said, then grinned slyly as he looked at the starving lad. "And one for Grog boy." More laughter from erupted Gramps and Avko as the man walked away chuckling, now heading to grab his own bowl.

Grog boy!? He'd never even had a smell of grog in his life, let alone a taste. Besides being alcohol, he wasn't even sure what grog was. He looked down at his soup to inspect the contents of the meal that had been delivered to him, not that he would turn it down given the state of his belly, he just wanted to know what it contained. Stirring the brown liquid with a wooden spoon, he identified bits and chunks of potatoes, carrots, lentils, some cabbage, and a couple chucks of meat. He might have also seen celery. Scooping a spoonful, his mouth met it half way and blew lightly on it before tasting it.

The soup was delightful. His taste buds jumped at the broth as it hit his tongue. In reality, the soup was only about 7 out of 10, but to his food deprived body it tasted like a 15. His body relished in the fact it was finally able to meet the negotiation demands of the stomach and no longer having to feel it's wrath at being forgotten. He began to dive into his bowl with zeal.

"Whoa, slow down there." Mivka warned, grumbling. "There's plenty to go around. You'd think you'd never seen food before."

He quickly gulped down the food he had in his mouth. "Sorry, this is just the first food I've had since last night." He began to pace himself, although he was still eating somewhat fast.

Avko reached across the crate and began to pick up the playing cards, shuffling them before putting them back in the bag they had come from. "So do you know where you're headed then?" Setting down the bag, Avko returned to his soup, "If you just appeared from nowhere, then you must be here for a reason." Avko looked straight at him. "Do you have any idea what that might be?"

Setting his spoon in his soup, he stared off into space pondering the question that had been brought to him. 'Why am I here? Things like this just don't happen because.' He looked up to the sky as if hoping for the answer to fall. 'What brought me here?'

"Unfortunately we need the help and guidance of your aunt to help us figure that out." Grandpa Mivka stated, supplying an answer for him. He wiped his mouth off before continuing. "She told me to be on the lookout for him, but other than that she didn't reveal much to me."

"Grandma Vanabia, huh," Avko slurped his soup. "I should have figured something like that. Must be something big if she knew about it."

"Who's Grandma Vanabia?" He was confused. How was his aunt his grandma? And how did she know? But now that he thought about it, Mivka had said something similar earlier…

"Vanabia is my sister and his aunt. But everyone calls her 'Grandma' Vanabia, much like they call me 'Grandpa' Mivka." Grandpa Mivka ate another spoonful of soup. "She's the one that told me to be on the lookout for a boy running across a field."

"Ah." His eyes brightened slightly at the remembrance of the former conversation, slightly clarifying the air for him. He still had a lot of questions, all of which the old man would probably avoid answering as he had earlier.

While he was lost in thought, Grandpa Mivka loudly cleared his through and gave Avko a knowing look. Avko set down his bowl, wiped his mouth off, and stood his towering body up. In a loud booming voice, he spoke clearly to all. "10 more minutes before we pack it up and hit the road once more." Coming to his senses out of his daydreaming, he quickly cleared his bowl and went over to see if he could obtain seconds.

After they had hit the road again, he thought some more about why he might be here while Mivka tried to involve him in some more games that, once again, made no sense to him.

* * *

She exited the tent in a fresh set of clothes and admired the now almost gone sunset and how it contrasted with the darkness of the rest of the sky. Looking down at her new clothes and straightening them, she thought they didn't look like the kind of clothes that the rest of them were wearing. They looked more like an everyday peasant in a medieval painting than the clothing of a bright and colorful gypsy. Not to say she was wearing shades of grey, she was wearing a flowing red skirt and white peasants blouse which looked very flattering on her, the clothes just didn't quiet seem like their style.

Looking around, she saw a roaring fire where Grandma Vanabia was sitting. Noticing the girl was out of the tent, she waved her over to warm herself by the fire. As she got closer, she saw her clothes drying hung over a large branch held up by two crates. Seeing her clothes there made her think back to earlier, when she was helping some of the women down by the river haul up a net full of fish. Unfortunately, she had slipped and fallen into the river. She had had to walk with the rest of them for 20 minutes freezing cold and soaking back to camp.

Vanabia cleared off a stool next to her of fallen leaves. "How do the clothes fit, Child?" She asked as the girl sat down. "They aren't too big, are they?"

"No. Surprisingly, they fit me fairly well." She straightened her skirt and scooted herself a little closer to the fire.

"And the shoes? How do they fit?" Vanabia asked, inquiring to the soft leather shoes she had been given to replace her ill suitable heels.

"Perfectly." She lifted her feet from underneath her skirt to show them off. "They don't wiggle around or anything."

Vanabia smiled, relieved that the clothing was suitable. "Can I interest you in some tea, Child?" She asked standing up. "It's a special blend, one that I make myself." She grabbed a crude cup from a nearby table and scooped up a mixture of loose leaves from a canister, placing them within the cup.

"Yes please, Grandma Vanabia." She usually enjoyed a nice cup of tea, and after today she sure could use one.

Smiling, Grandma Vanabia grabbed the kettle hanging above the fire and filled the cup up with hot water, watching the leaves swirl and release their flavor. "Be careful, the cup is hot. Use your skirt to protect your hands." She warned as she held out the cup.

Nodding, she heeded the woman's warning and cupped her hands under the folds of her skirt before offering them up to receive the tea. "Thank you." The smell of the tea wafted into her nostrils, and made her think of orange spice tea.

"You are welcome." Vanabia turned and went back over to prepare her own cup. As she was placing the leaves in her cup, noises of rejoice and excitement came from the other side of the camp. Both of them turned their heads in the direction that it came from. "I see that the men have returned from the village. I will be back soon, Child. I must go and see how the men have fared. Hopefully soon we can talk more about your arrival." Leaving her cup mid preparation, Grandma Vanabia quickly headed off before she could utter a single word.

Staring in the direction the old woman had headed, she took a small sip and quickly let the tea pour back into the cup. Sticking out her tongue, she quickly tried to cool off the now burnt tip.

It was dark when he finally felt the wagon heave to a stop, causing both him and Grandpa Mivka to lurch with it. "Looks like we finally made it back to camp," Grandpa Mivka muttered drowsily, awakening from his nap. Bringing himself to his feet, Grandpa Mivka hobbled over to where his pipe was setting. Grabbing it he began to light it. "Well let's go. Hopefully we can find Vanabia quickly without having to hunt for her." He moved to the back of the wagon, then looked back realizing he was moving alone. "You hear me boy? Come on, let's go."

Snapping back to reality, he jumped up and followed Mivka. Mivka just shook his head, and opening the wagon door, stepped out. Even though it was dark outside, there were torches all around, lighting the environment. The men were busy bustling about, moving cargo and meeting with their families. He saw men that hadn't been with the rest of the group who had probably stayed back at camp to stay with the women. Through the crowd, he saw an elderly woman a couple of years younger than Grandpa Mivka making her way through the crowd towards them, giving directions every now and then.

Mivka smiled at the woman through his pipe, letting out a spire of smoke. "You almost had me worried there. He didn't show up until the last minute, Vanabia." He told her when she finally made it to them.

"Doubting your little sister? You should know better than that, Mivka," she chuckled at him and winked. Turning her attention to the lad, she spoke. "So we finally meet. Let me see you better." Grabbing his hands, she pulled him into the light of the torches. "You look exactly as I knew you would. Well, no time to chat, we have a spare set of clothing waiting for you. AVKO!" She hollered, leaving the boy's head spinning with confusion. Avko set down the crate he was carrying nearby and came over. "Please take him to my tent. There's a change of clothing for him on my cot. Mivka, I need to speak with you briefly." And with that, the woman grabbed Grandpa Mivka by the arm and walked away with him, leaving him just staring at the empty space she had just been standing in.

Avko just stood there chuckling. "And that would be Grandma Vanabia. She's like that when something important is going on. I'm sure we'll find out what it is, but first let's get you changed like she said. Follow me."

Following closely at his heels, he stayed behind Avko through the circular maze of tents and wagons. They eventually ended up in front of a larger tent closer to the center by the central fire. Avko lifted the opening and gestured inside. Inside was filled with odds and ends of rugs and furniture. Like the old woman had said, on her cot folded nicely was a change of clothing with a pair of leather boots on top.

"I'll leave you to change and be back soon. Just leave your clothing on the bed." Avko said before dropping the curtain and disappearing.

All alone in a strange, old woman's tent, he began to undress himself as he looked about, examining her collection of odd items. It was uncomfortable being in here alone, he was nervous and wary. As he was pulling up his new pants he realized draped across the edge of a dresser wasn't a doily like he had though, but actually a piece of crocheted lingerie. He shuddered in disgust and wrapped the leather belt left for him around his waist. When he had finished pulling up his new boots, he took a look at himself in a full length mirror she had. He was now wearing a pair of tan work pants, a men's peasant blouse and a dark green wool vest along with the knee high brown boots.

As he was admiring himself in the mirror, he saw movement reflected behind him. Spinning around, he saw the old woman at the entrance to the tent. "Oh good, they seem to fit." She admired, viewing the young lad with a slight sly smile. "I didn't properly introduce myself earlier. I'm Grandma Vanabia, Grandpa Mivka's younger sister." She walked towards him and looked down at his feet. "Do the boots fit alright?" Once more his head was spinning from her sudden appearance and overflowing energy, so all he could do was nod. "Oh good, I don't usually guess shoe sizes right."

She stared at him for a moment, examining as if something was missing. Suddenly it looked as though her bulb lit. "Here, let me pull your hair back into a pony tail for you." She went over to a dresser and pulled up a leather cord from a tangle of jewelry. "Your hair isn't that long, but it still could get in the way." Whipping him around to face the mirror, she expertly pulled his blond, mid-neck length hair back and wrapped the cord around it, securing it soundly. "There, how does that look?"

He examined himself in the mirror, and was surprised by the results. It was a small ponytail, reminiscent of one that one of the founding fathers might have had. She had acted so suddenly that he hadn't had time to decline her offer. But he was kinda glad now; he had never imagined himself with a ponytail, but now that he saw himself with one he thought it looked nice. "It looks nice, thank you." He responded.

She grinned, secretly admiring the strapping young lad. Unfortunately, there were more pressing issues at hand. "Follow me. You and I have some talking to do." Grabbing his left hand with her right, she yanked him from in front of the mirror and out of the tent.

"Where are we going?" He asked, looking back at the tent where all of his stuff was.

"Just over by the fire. Mivka is waiting for us over there," She explained, as they entered the fire pit area where everyone else was gathering. He heard musicians begin to play string instruments as she pulled him around the edge of the crowd towards the other side. Through the crowd beginning to dance, he caught a glimpse of Grandpa Mivka sitting a bit a ways by a tree with a girl he thought was about his age, though he only saw the back of her head.

"What are we going to talk about?" He asked, he was hopeful she could answer most of his questions that he had. Looking past her, he saw they were closing in on Mivka and the girl. Mivka noticed and seemed to tell the girl, who set down a cup and started to stand up.

"Lots of things, but first -", She quickly yanked him forward and let go causing him to stumble a couple steps. "I have someone for you to meet."

Straightening himself, he looked up just in time to make eye contact with the girl who had just turned around to face him. Both of them suddenly froze, each of them wearing the same look of shock with a hint of excitement. Immediately, they each exclaimed a similar sentence at the same time.

"You're Rhoswen!" Is what he exclaimed.

"You're Link!" Is what she exclaimed.

They both just stood there, shocked and confused, because standing in front of each of them was the main character from their favorite video game series.


	5. Chapter 3 - Inside the Tent

Link and Rhoswen looked at each other dumbfound, neither one able to fully comprehend the fact that their favorite video game character from their favorite video game series was standing right in front of them. And as they had each changed out of their normal clothing into local garbs, they both thought the other was the real thing.

Seconds ticked by as a million thoughts ran through Link and Rhoswen's minds, thoughts about how the other person might actually be like, about all their (now embarrassing) fantasy adventures they had imagined with the other person, what kinds of adventures they had actually been on, and how they knew of each other's names…

Suddenly Rhoswen snapped out of it and came rushing back to reality. "HEY! How the hell do you know my real name?" She snapped at Link demandingly.

Taken aback, he just stared at her with wide eyes. Oh no, was she on a secret undercover mission for the sake of Hyrule, and he had just stupidly broken her cover with his fan-shocked reaction? Of course, even as thoughts like these ran through his head, all he could manage to respond was short and repetitive. "Your…real…name?"

Mivka and Vanabia passed looks between themselves as things escalated.

"My real name." Rhoswen stated, as if to confirm that she had indeed said it. "Since getting here, the only name I've given out is my nickname, Ava. I mean, the only people who call me that anymore are family, old friends, and substitute's. So how the hell did you know my name was Rhoswen?" Hero of time or not, she was going to get an explanation out of him. Scenarios passed through her mind as she waited for his response. Scenarios like what if her fantasy princess self actually existed here and now there were two of her, or what if they had actually swapped places and her fantasy self was standing in the middle of North Pinedale wreaking chaos and havoc. That thought frightened her a little bit…

Link just gawked at her reaction; how the hell was he going explain to her that she was the main character of his favorite video game? She didn't even know what a video game was, how would he explain what those are? "Oh boy, where do I start…?"

"After we go someplace more private." Vanabia said, suddenly appearing between the two. Grabbing Rhoswen's left hand with her right and Link's right hand with her left, she swiftly dragged the two of them away from the fire and into the maze of tents and wagons.

Link and Rhoswen could only watch wide eyed as the elderly woman pulled them into a nearby tent, with Mivka right behind them. Inside was small, about 10'by 15', with a small, round table in the center surrounded by six chairs, one of which Mivka went to settle himself in. Letting go of their hands, Vanabia walked a few steps forward and turned to face them. "This is the Elders Tent, where we meet to discuss what we should do and how we should handle things. I had hoped we wouldn't have to resort to moving here, but apparently a more private setting is called for." She seemed to be glaring right into their souls, putting the two of them on edge. She then focused her gaze on Link. "That being said, I would like to know how you knew what her true name was."

"Yeah." Rhoswen chipped in, looking at him through narrow eyes.

"Um…ah…well…where do I begin…?" Link franticly searched him mind for a way to explain video games to them. "Where I come from, we have… ah… advanced technology. And some of this technology allows us to… uh…" He searched his mind for the right wording. "To… uh… see stories being played out. And some of those stories are made to be interacted with. We call those video games. Anyways, um… there is a series of these video games that stars Rhoswen. And… it's… kinda my favorite." He chuckled as Rhoswen and Vanabia just stared at him wide eyed. He hoped he had explained it well enough for them to understand.

Rhoswen blinked a few times then rubbed her temples with her fingers as she tried to process what she just heard. "Wait just a minute; tell me if I heard this right. In your world, I'm the main character of a video game series that just so happens to be your favorite?"

"Umm… yeah, basically." She understood the concept a little better than he had expected.

Rhoswen rubbed her eye's a bit. This couldn't be happening, this just wasn't possible. Okay, this whole experience just wasn't possible, but this was just even more impossible. "You're telling me that in another world, _**I'm**_ the main character of _**my**_ favorite video game character's favorite video game."

"Yea…what?" Link stared at her bug eyed. Had he just heard her right? "Say that again."

"In another world, separate from this world and mine altogether, _**I **_am the main character of _**your**_ favorite video game series; while in my world, _**you**_ are the main character of _**my**_ favorite video game series?"

Link just blinked. Now it was his turn to process information. "_**I'm**_ the main character of _**your**_ favorite video game series?"

"Yes." Rhoswen abruptly turned from him and walked over to the table. Sitting down in the nearest chair, she folded her arms on the table and nestled her head in them. "Goodnight everyone."

"…Why the hell are you going to sleep!?" Vanabia shrieked. "I have no idea what video games are, but this doesn't seem like the time to fall asleep over it!"

"I'm going to sleep here so I can wake up back in my own bed before I'm too late for school." Rhoswen answered from in her arms. "This dream has just gotten to weird now that Link's become involved like this. Never again will I play the Legend of Zelda until 1:30 in the morning on a school night. Not if I'm going to have weird dreams like this."

They all just stared at her as Mivka slowly began filled the tent with smoke from his pipe.

"The… Legend… of…Zelda?" Link asked, shocked. "Is that what my game's called? The Legend of Zelda?"

"Yes, it is. I'm kinda trying to fall asleep here." Came Rhoswen's muffled answer.

He threw his hands to his head in confusion and frustration. "Why is it called the Legend of Zelda if I'm the main character!? Don't tell me I'm a prince in distress, too!" Link looked at the ground distressed and disturbed. Did this mean Zelda, his longtime friend and the girl of his dreams, went around saving _him_? Talk about a blow to the ego.

Rhoswen looked up from the table. "What? No. Most of the time you go around saving Princess Zelda's dumb ass." She looked at him confused. "What do you mean 'prince in distress, too'?"

Vanabia had had enough. "Can we discuss this later, please?" She smacked her hand down on the table, which startled Rhoswen and caused her to sit up. "I understand that we have just unearthed something very interesting and possibly important, but at the moment we something more important to discuss." She pointed a finger at Link. "You, sit."

Link quickly made his way to a chair to avoid this sudden wrath of Grandma Vanabia. Grandpa Mivka just laughed. "You gift didn't show you any of this did, did it?"

"Silence, brother. " Vanabia was losing her patience. "Do not forget the matter of which they are here for." Mivka became serious all of a sudden, taking another long draw from his pipe. Link and Rhoswen glanced quizzical looks at one another.

Now it was Vanabia's turn to rub her temples. "I have no idea what a 'video game' is, nor do I game to learn what it is. You two have been summoned from two different worlds to our world for a very specific reason. Fate has a use for the two of you."

Vanabia moved around the tent and sat down next to Mivka. "Something is approaching. Something bad. Something evil. Something the world is not ready for. But it is coming. And it is coming soon." Vanabia closed her eyes, as though trying to remember something properly. "About 4 weeks ago, when we were still in the kingdom of Hyrule-"

Link and Rhoswen immediately cut her off. "Hyrule!?" They both exclaimed at once, and then looked at each surprised that the other knew about the kingdom of Hyrule.

"Yes, Hyrule. Now not another peep from either of you before I say so or I'll have you clear the horse corrals tomorrow." Both of the teens went back to their silence, stealing quick glances at the other. Vanabia returned to her tale. "Back when we were in Hyrule, I had a vision during the night. In it, terrible forces came and disrupted the land of Hyrule, leaving chaos and destruction in their wake. Swirling, dark clouds appeared over the land, with a tall, ominous black tower appearing beneath the center of the clouds. Their shadowy hands stretched out from the tower, reaching towards the nearby lands to claim control of them and expand their empire. That was when I awoke. I immediately urged for us to leave a get as far away from Hyrule as possible. We packed up and left, heading south in hopes of reaching the Vail Pass to escape the impending doom."

"About 2 weeks ago I had the same dream again. Except this time, as the hands of the dark forces were reaching across the land, a shining white tower appeared in the south west of the land. At the base of the tower appeared the white silhouettes of two heroes', but other than that I couldn't make out much of them. When the hero's appeared, the shadowy hands suddenly diverted and headed straight towards the two heroes', who were charging ahead with weapons bared. I awoke from this dream just as the two forces were about to collide, but I didn't know what to make of it. Not until the night before the men left to do work in the nearby town of Armeville."

Link perked up a little at the last line, it sounded strangely familiar like something he had heard from Mivka.

"That dream started off with the appearance of the white tower. But this time, instead of two heroes appearing, only one showed up and I could make out more. I could tell he was a tall, young man, at the very least. Suddenly, he standing on the middle of a large sphere floating in blackness, in an instant he thrusted through some sort of portal and was falling until he landed in the middle of an open meadow where he started running towards my brother." She stared right at Link. "That is how I knew you were coming here and that Mivka was to find you."

Grandma Vanabia turned her attention to Rhoswen. "Last night is when I learned you were coming. Once again, I dreamt of the white tower appearing, and this time it was the other hero that appeared. I could instantly tell the hero was a young woman by her small stature and feminine physique. She too, suddenly was standing on a large sphere floating in blackness, and as the other hero, was sent falling through a portal, except she landed in the middle of a grassy field next to the woods. A golden stag appeared before her and she started chasing it into the woods until the stag leapt behind some bushes and I appeared from where it had gone."

Rhoswen shifted in her seat as she thought about the golden stag again. "So… what does that all mean then? All of your visions, what do they mean exactly?" Rhoswen asked, more confused now than she had been before.

Mivka chuckled and blew a smoke ring. "Isn't it obvious? You, well both of you, are the two heroes' that appeared in Vanabia's dreams. We know this because you appeared exactly the same way that was portrayed in her visions. Destiny has chosen both of you to save Hyrule, and by doing so, the world, from whatever dark force it is that is trying to take control and gain power."

"I bet it's the dark lord Magnar…"Link said, as though fuming over old wronging's. And he was… kinda. His thoughts went to the boss battle between video game Rhoswen and the dark lord Magnar that he just couldn't seem to beat.

"Uh… who's this dark lord Magnar?" Rhoswen asked, looking at him strangely.

"The main villain, your arch nemesis. The Legend of Zelda doesn't have him in it?" Link asked her inquiringly.

"No, it has-"Rhoswen was cut off by throat being cleared loudly. They both looked and saw an impatient Vanabia with her arms crossed and looking sternly at them. "Sorry."

Vanabia hung her head and sighed before returning to the topic at hand. "Who or what the dark force in my visions is, I don't know. But what I do know is that it is coming soon and headed straight for the kingdom of Hyrule." She looked straight at them, her eyes filled with a seriousness that held fear and hope in them. "And you two are the only ones that can vanquish and defeat this impending doom from the world."

Link just looked at Grandma Vanabia with a look of disbelief, pointing his finger back and forth between himself and Rhoswen. Rhoswen just slumped down in her seat trying to disappear, softly and meekly whispering "Me?" This was just becoming too surreal for the both of them, this just couldn't be happening. It was nice to imagine, a good fantasy, but this kind of thing only happened in stories. That was it.

Sensing their disbelief, Grandpa Mivka set down his pipe. "My sister's visions have never been wrong. Maybe a couple misinterpreted, but never wrong. Visions like the ones she's just described are hard to misinterpret, so even if you don't want to believe it, it is true. The both of you were sent here for a reason, fate has a use for you in the upcoming events of the world."

He lifted his pipe and took a short draw. He released it in a slow stream of smoke before talking again. "Vanabia's visions also show that the dark forces see you as a threat and will throw everything your way in order to eliminate you. I highly doubt that laying low and trying to run from this will keep you safe. If the two of you are as important as I believe to be, they will find out about you one way or another and seek you out until you are no longer a threat to their plans. Your best bet is to find the road fate has set out for you and be far along it before they realize that the two of you exist."

Grandma Vanabia nodded her head. "I know it is a lot to take in after everything that's happened today, but you must understand that everything is true or going to be true very soon. The question the needs answered right now is simple: Will you hide? Or will you embrace fate and accept the duty that has been thrusted upon you?" Vanabia got a sly little smile on her face as she remembered something. "Remember child, with great power comes great responsibility."

Link looked at her confused; boggled by the fact Vanabia had just used a line he associated with comic books. Hearing a stifled snickering, he looked over at Rhoswen. Still slumped down, she was biting her lower lip in a big grin stretched across her face, trying to hold back her glee.

"She quoted Spider-man." Rhoswen said under her breath rather amused.

* * *

Deep underground, a woman traversed the maze of dirt tunnels she knew so well. The wide tunnels were brightly lit with the magic light orbs, called Lumisphaers, which were attached to the sides of the tunnels. The light shined off of her armor as she swiftly made her way deeper into the earth. As she came across a small squad of soldiers headed elsewhere in the maze, they moved off to the side to make room for her to walk through as they saluted, recognizing her status. "Captain, ma'am!" they all saluted to her.

"As you were." She said sternly after she had passed them. Right now she had no time to mess with the interaction of others; she had more important business to deal with. Specifically the matter of being summoned to the Grand Council's room. Thoughts about what could have been the reason raced around her head as she swiftly walked down the dirt corridors until she reached the tall, ominous black doors that led to the level where everything was ran from. This was the lowest level of the secret underground base, the Tenebrous Vault. At the base of the doors stood two guards in elaborate uniforms standing watch over the doors. She marched right up to them and kneeled on one knee without a moment's hesitation, her short hair falling in her face.

"I am Captain Viveca, captain of the Todbringend Company. I have been summoned to the Grand Council's room, and therefore request entrance to the Tenebrous Vault."

* * *

"You still haven't answered the question." Grandpa Mivka said; smoke escaping his mouth as he spoke. "Are you going to follow the path fate has set before you, or are you going to turn and run from it?"

Vanabia and Mivka stared at Link and Rhoswen as they seemingly tossed the question around in their heads, weighing the pros and cons of each decision. Seconds ticked by in silence, which turned into a couple minutes of silence. Link was the one that finally broke the silence when he stood up abruptly, knocking back his chair.

"I'll do it. Not because fate told me to or because I'm looking to be a hero. I'm doing it because if what you say is true, than a lot of innocent lives are depending upon me to defend them and make sure this crisis never reaches them." Link explained as his eyes were blazing with a passion and determination for this duty that had been placed upon him. Rhoswen looked at him astonished and inspired, seeing a flicker of the hero she knew so well from the games she played. She felt as if her heart skipped a beat when he looked at her in her chair. "Are you going to join me, Rhoswen?"

They just stared at each other for a few seconds; Rhoswen had been momentarily awed by his courage and determination. She suddenly snapped out of it when it occurred to her that all eyes in the room were focused on her. "Oh, yeah, Me too! I'm in!" She said, jumping out of her seat, trying to look determined and cool. "Sides, this is a once in a life time opportunity. It would be rude of me to not take advantage of it. Though I'm not sure what help I'd be…"

"A once in a life time opportunity?..." Link asked suspiciously.

"Well, it's not every day that you go to a fantasy world and meet your favorite video game character." Rhoswen threw a big grin towards Link. "Am I wrong?"

Link wanted to scold her for not thinking about the people out there that were depending on them to stop this from happening and for focusing on what she got out of it instead. But at the same time she did have a point, why waste what was being handed to you on a silver platter. Still, it was pretty selfish logic. He just closed his eyes and groaned, she was making his head hurt. But at least she was on board.

"Well, now that's settled, we should figure out what your course of action is going to be," Grandpa Mivka said, trying to focus their attention once again. "You can't very well just suddenly become heroes in an instant. How do you plan on getting there? Where should you begin on your journey?" He pulled a long draw from his pipe and began to blow smoke rings.

"That is an excellent question. My visions have given no indication has to how you start on your quest." Grandma Vanabia stated, preventing their question before it was even asked.

Link and Rhoswen sat back down in their seats, deep in thought on how to solve this predicament. Where to start, where to start… They had no elderly relative to point them in the right direction, no personal vindictive pointing them in the right direction, and no map or book full of hints and tips of where to go. Suddenly Rhoswen's eyes lit up.

"I've got it!" She suddenly announced when a realization hit her.

"What?" Link and Grandma Vanabia exclaimed in unison.

"We go to Hyrule Castle!" Rhoswen declared, slapping her fist against her palm in enthusiasm. "In all the stories, video games or other mediums, the hero often goes to the castle of the royal family to start on his quest."

"What do you recommend we do: march right into the throne room and tell the royal family that an old gypsy woman told us an impending doom is approaching their kingdom, and we're the only ones that can stop it?" Link replied sarcastically.

"I don't know, we'd figure it out when we got there. I'm just saying! Do you have any better idea's yourself?" Rhoswen snapped back angrily.

"No, but I'm trying to think of something a bit less preposterous!" Link snapped at her. The two of them just glared at each other.

"Preposterous or not, I have to agree with Rhoswen. Going to Hyrule Castle does seem to be the best idea at the moment. At the very least you can do some investigation in the castle town to figure out your next course of action." Grandma Vanabia voiced calmly. "It's a long shot, but it's better than nothing at the moment. Remember, time _is_ of the essence here."

"But what exactly would we do to figure out our next course of action? We have no idea what this world contains; let alone what Hyrule castle town contains. We don't even have any idea where we are exactly!" Link exclaimed in frustration.

"Look, we have to start somewhere. Why not start with the capital of the first kingdom in danger?" Rhoswen pointed out. "It'll at least give us a good start on familiarizing ourselves with the country itself. Not to mention if fate is so involved here as Grandma Vanabia says it is, then it will probably steer us in the right direction if we're wrong about going there. It did bring us this far after all."

Link closed his eyes and held the bridge of his nose in thought. After a bit he spoke. "Fine, fine. We'll go to the capital," Rhoswen gave a small gesture of celebration. "But, how do you plan on us getting there? We don't even know north from south at the moment, let alone the land."

"Ummm…." Rhoswen cupped her chin with her hand and bit her thumb in thought. She hadn't thought or even considered that far ahead.

"We can provide you with maps, provisions, and other essentials for the trip." Grandma Vanabia piped up. "Unfortunately we cannot escort you to Hyrule Castle as we are headed away for our own safety, but we will do what we can to help you."

"I feel I must warn you, it will be a long, hard trip; about 3 weeks long, maybe quicker if you can hitch some rides along the way." Grandpa Mivka warned. "You'll have to brave the elements and other hazards on your trip. Do you feel up to the challenge?"

"Not really, but I'm going to do it anyways." Smiled Rhoswen with forced enthusiasm. She was in no way ready for something like this, but that wasn't going to stop her from this. Not this time at least. She was going to take a leap of faith here and live her life.

Link just smiled a little bit and shook his head. She wasn't the heroine Rhoswen he was familiar with, but there was something about her that inspired him, even if just a little bit, to move forward with this plan. "Alright, what do we need to know?" He said, looking up at the group with a sparkle in his eyes.

* * *

"Captain Viveca, do you understand the task that is being given to you?" The head of the Grand Council asked her from behind a cloaked face. All around her, the members of the Grand Council sat high above her on their elevated seats, peering down on her from within the folds their oversized, draping cloaks as she kneeled before them, waiting for her response.

"Perfectly, my lordship," Viveca answered as she raised herself off the polished stone floor. A smile of pride and darkness crossed her face. "I shall fulfill the mission I am being entrusted with. I shall bring glory to the Zgoda Alliance during its first steps towards it one goal. I promise and pledge myself to the conquering of Hyrule Castle for our cause. "


	6. Chapter 4 - Comparisions

Rhoswen awoke early the next morning from her place on the ground. She had had a hard night's sleep being stuck without pajamas. She could never sleep that well in day clothes, and these new clothes weren't that much better. Looking over, she saw Grandma Vanabia sleeping deeply on her bed. Sitting up, she sat cross legged on the floor and stared at the ground as her mind began to slowly wake up. Her mind went over the previous night when they discussed what her and Link's course of action would be. But alas, her mind was too foggy to think straight, so she just kinda bounced all over the place. Her eyes caught sight of the early morning light seeping in through the fabric of the tent, inviting her to feel the sun on her skin. Wrapping her blanket around her and pulling on her shoes, she ventured out the entrance of the tent.

The morning air was brisk and cool, yet slightly warm as the sun touched her skin. The sun was just beginning to reach its rays over and across the distant hills towards the camp. Closing her eyes, Rhoswen breathed in deep, taking in the refreshing morning air. Slowly, she walked over to the fire pit, only to be disappointed by the lack of fire to warm her cold body. Sighing longingly, she moved over to some of the make shift chairs that had been left around the pit. Sitting down, she once again closed her eyes and resumed to trying to waken up her foggy morning mind.

_Snap!_

Rhoswen's eyes flashed open and her head snapped in the direction of the sound. Link stood on the edge of the circle, frozen by the sudden awkwardness of the situation. He had been planning on making his exit unnoticed, but that seemed impossible now. "Umm… good morning." He greeted nervously to her.

"Oh, good morning… Link." She responded in same.

They just stood there for a few moments, neither sure what to say to the other. They hadn't really gotten to know each other the night before as Vanabia and Mivka hadn't allowed them to divert much during their conversations the night before, and immediately after they called it off for the night they had been whisked away suddenly to separate tents.

"Um… how are you this morning?" Rhoswen asked, attempting to break the tension that was swirling in the air.

"I'm good. You?" Link wasn't quite sure what to say. It was really awkward being alone with her. Maybe someone would show up and change the subject for them.

"Tired. Reeeaaallly tired." Rhoswen said with half open eyes, pulling the blanket tighter around herself. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Horrible. Have you ever heard an elephant trumpet? It was kinda like that all night long." Both Link and Rhoswen got a laugh out of that. "It's probably only in my head, but I swear I can still hear him halfway across the camp."

The awkward silence was starting to set in again. Someone had to do something and soon; and Rhoswen decided it was going to be her. She stood up from her stool and walked briskly over to Link. Link was surprised by this sudden movement, but he was even more surprised when she firmly grabbed his hand and attempted to lead him away.

"What are you doing?!" Link demanded shocked, as he attempted to free his hand from her grip. For such a small girl, she sure had a tight grip.

Rhoswen gave an almost exasperated sigh. "Look, we both have questions. Well, I know I have questions, so I'm assuming you do as well. Let's just not beat around the bush of working up the nerve to ask, and just talk about it." She got a bit of a goofy grin on her face. "Sides, I really wanna know what kind of a princess I am." Link began to open his mouth, but she cut him short. "Don't tell me here. Let's go somewhere more isolated first."

Link closed his mouth and nodded. "Okay." This girl sure could be blunt at times. She wasn't at all like he had pictured her. Okay, maybe a little bit, but not much. Kinda like when you play the game telephone, how the final phrase only vaguely sounds like the original phrase. She was like that.

Rhoswen led a hesitant Link through the maze of tents, change direction a couple of times when she realized she was going the wrong direction. Link didn't ask, but he wondered where she was taking them. She hadn't given any indication except for 'more isolated'. He soon got his answer when they broke free from the circle of tents and were on the edge of the open field. The view in the morning light was breathtaking. Link just stood there in awe at the beauty, not budging. Rhoswen tugged his hand a few times. "Come on."

Remembering why they were there, Link continued to follow her lead across the field. When they reached a stream winding its way through the field, Rhoswen let go of his hand and carefully choose a rock to sit on. Realizing they had reached their final destination, Link picked out a suitable rock for himself that faced her. He realized once he was settled, that there was only about a 4 foot gap between him and Rhoswen at most.

Link tapped his fingers on his knees and looked around. "So… now what?"

Rhoswen adjusted herself and leaned forward a bit. "Now, we talk and ask questions and get answers. I'll go first." Rhoswen adjusted a bit more and cleared her throat. "Yesterday, when I mention The Legend of Zelda, you freaked about being a prince in distress." Leaning in, she eyed him. "Why?"

Link scratched the base of his scalp. "Well… Okay, so first off you need to know the name of your game." Rhoswen nodded straight faced. "It's called The Epic of Wilhelm. And you… kinda… go around... saving the Prince Wilhelm."

Rhoswen blinked a few times. "I what now?"

"You rescue the prince from danger. Well, in most games."

"You mean I'm the hero, and NOT the princess?" Link nodded. "That is so COOL! I'm the heroine? That's soooo awesome! Wait. Why do I save the prince, instead of it being the other way around?"

"Well, original, in the first game in 1987, Wilhelm saved the Princess Rhoswen from the dark lord Magnar, and again in 1988." Link was starting to talk really enthusiastically. "But for the third game in 1991, the developers decided to switch it up and have the princess go save the hero. The concept was a big hit with the fans, so they decided to switch the format all the way and just make the hero the prince, and the princess the hero. And it's stuck for all 15 games since, well except for Eternal Slumber."

"Eternal… Slumber? Is that one of the games?" Rhoswen asked, captivated by this series that sounded like a lot of fun to play.

"Yeah, it is. In it, the villain, Aluredus, is attempting to revive Magnar. In order to do so, he needs to feed a soul of light to Magnar as part of the ritual. So Aluredus decides he's going to use the brightest soul in the land, the soul of the Princess Rhoswen. He kidnaps her and separates her soul from her body, but something goes wrong and her soul escapes to safety."

"Sounds like Spirit Tracks." Rhoswen muttered, absorbed in the story.

"What?"

"Nothing, go on." Rhoswen waved her hand in her face, telling him to forget it.

"Well, anyways, the game is basically played from her point of view as she tried to get back to her body, going through the spiritual portions of the sacred temples. And every now and then she comes across the hero Wilhelm trying to save her on his own. And of course, Aluredus is trying to get her soul back, too." Link sat back and folded his hands on his lap. "Okay, my turn." He cleared his throat and looked straight at her. "Who is Zelda exactly? The one from the Legend of Zelda, that is."

"Oh, her?" Rhoswen's face looked instantly bored and distant. "She's just the princess you save in most of the games. Not much to say about her. She's just your typical blond-haired, blue eyed princess in distress that gets kidnapped by the same guy almost every freaking time."

Blond hair and blue eyes… "No, it can't be…"

"What can't be?" Rhoswen asked, her head cocked to the side.

"It's nothing, it's just that… I know Zelda. Well, a Zelda. My Zelda. She's not really my Zelda though, it's just that she's the Zelda from my world. We're just friends, nothing more." Link was turning redder the more he rambled on. "Anyways, she has blond hair and blue eyes, too."

Rhoswen got a sly smile. "Ahh, that's cute. Link's got a crush on Zelda." Link turned about three shades of red darker. Rhoswen giggled at the notion of Link acting like this around Zelda. She could already see Link and Ganon being love rivals for Zelda. "Be careful, Ganon might steal her away from you before you can make your move."

"How can I steal her away when she's basically already his?" Link began to sulk. "It's useless. I'll never be able to win her from him."

"Hey, don't be so down. You and Zelda are destined to be together. I just know it. I now know there's a grain of truth to the games, and if anything is reoccurring it's that you and Zelda are soul mates! Why else would you keep saving her and keep having her as a love interest?" Rhoswen could see hope begin to grow in Link's eyes. She jumped to her feet and continued her motivation speech. "Someday, Zelda will see how much more than just a friend you are to her. She'll see how much she means to you, and how much you mean to her. Yes, once you get back home, it will only be a matter of time before Zelda will realize just how perfect you are for her and how she never had to look anywhere else."

Link jumped to his feet, his soul flying with hope and determination. "Yeah! I'll win the girl of my dreams, and soon!"

"You're damn right you will. Zelda will notice just how awesome and amazing and cool you are! Ganon won't stand a chance against you! His reign won't last." Rhoswen was really getting into the groove now! Playing cupid wasn't that hard.

"Yeah, I'll free Zelda from his iron grip on her and break his rule. We'll finally be free to live and love together!" Link could just picture his happy future with Zelda now. He win her heart, he would!

"Zelda will dump Ganon's sorry ass so hard; he won't know what hit him! He'll still be picking up the pieces of his heart as you ride off into the distance!" Rhoswen cheered.

"Zelda will totally dump him for…" Link suddenly froze, thinking about what Rhoswen had just implied. His eye started to twitch. "She'll what?"

"Dump him, break up with him. All for you, the man of her dreams." Rhoswen was so into the speech now that she was oblivious to Link's sudden change in mood.

Link couldn't believe that's what she thought! He didn't even want to think about it, it was so gross. Rhoswen totally had the wrong idea in her head. "Uh, Rhoswen?"

"Yeah?" She was still in her own little world, imagining the scene playing out in her head.

"Ganon is… Zelda's… dad…"Link waited for her reaction.

"Yeah, but not…" Rhoswen's personality suddenly did a 180, and she became stone faced. "He's what?"

"Ganon is… Zelda's dad. As in her father, the man who raised her. The one that doesn't even want me within a quarter mile of his baby girl. The man who will probably kill me if I so much as kiss her hand." Link started think about all the times Ganon had made threats to him behind Zelda's back, and began feeling just a little bit small.

Rhoswen just stared into space, her face contorted by feelings of disgust and disbelief. "Ganon is Zelda's father?" Link sadly nodded his head. Rhoswen's right eye twitched ever so slightly. "Zelda… is… Ganon's… daughter?" The last word just barely squeaked its way out of her throat. She was having the hardest time wrapping her head around the concept; it just didn't make any sense to her. Yet it made perfect sense at the same time. The paradoxical thoughts and emotions just whirled around in her head until it her head was about to explode. And it did, ripping her mouth open as everything in her head came pouring out in one big outburst.

"How the hell is Zelda Ganon's daughter!? I mean, I can only assume that Ganon and her mom had a wonderful evening where one thing led to another, AND WHY AM I EVEN TALKING ABOUT THAT!? Point is, how the hell did the damsel in distress end up the daughter of the evil dark lord that keeps kidnapping her in all the games?! It makes no sense! You think they would be worst enemies, or at least their families would be! My brain can't compute the idea properly! Especially after seeing some of the weird pairing pictures that some people post online! I mean, they were weird before, but now they're just down right gross and wrong! BLECH!" She quickly took a deep breath before resuming. "At the same time though, it makes perfect sense, because why else would he keep taking her away. Seriously! He keeps locking her up far away from the hero that's her love interest. That's exactly what any over protective father would do! So it makes perfect sense! But at the same time it doesn't! I…I…I just…"

Her head had had enough. She fell over her knees in exhaustion, her brain fried from the complexity of the situation. "I feel like such an idiot now…"

Link, who was still taken aback by her sudden outburst, took a few moments to collect himself before responding. "Er…why?"

Rhoswen sat up straight and looked at him. "Why? Because I just assumed that Ganon was a rival love interest for Zelda and I had a big blow up over it and the whole thing just make me feel STUPID!" Setting her elbows on her knees, she hung her head in her hands. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have assumed."

"I-it's alright. Really." Link reassured her, not knowing what else to do. "I'm sure I have assumptions about your world that would cause the same reaction in me."

Rhoswen looked up at him. "Like what?"

"Well, um…" He struggled to think of something. "You don't really go around saving Wilhelm in real life, do you? From like bullies or getting in trouble, right?" Link grinned at her hopefully.

Rhoswen readjusted herself uncomfortably, looking a little down. "I don't know Wilhelm. I don't even know any Williams. I don't think I even know the dark lord Magnar." She responded sadly.

"Oh." Link didn't know what to say again. He struggled as the silence began to settle in. "Well, see, I did have an assumption about your world that wasn't true." He chuckled stiffly in attempt to lighten the mood. Rhoswen, however, continued to look down. "Um… what's wrong?"

"It's just that you know your true love personally…" She started.

"I wouldn't call her my true love." Link interrupted, returning to a deep shade of red.

"…Dude, she's your true love. Trust me, Skyward Sword confirmed it." Link looked at her questioningly, but she spoke before he could open his mouth. "Skyward Sword is the latest console game to come out, I'll tell you more about it later. Back to my original statement, it's just that you know your true love personally and are friends with her, and, well… I haven't even met my prince. It's just a little disheartening, is all."

Link realized it was now his turn to give words of encouragement. "Hey, I'm sure you'll meet him someday. If I met Zelda, then I'm sure you'll meet Wilhelm! Someday you'll meet him when we get back home, and things will click into place like they were always meant to be that way. He'll be your prince and you'll be his… uh… princess." He smiled cheerfully at her, hoping she would feel better.

Instead Rhoswen looked up at him very unimpressed. "Thanks for the pep talk, but playing cheerlead is my job."

Link sighed. "You're welcome." Suddenly, movement from the corner of his eye caught Link's attention. Looking in the direction, he was surprised to see tents coming down at the campsite. He quickly jumped to his feet. "We better head back to camp, somethings going on over there."

Rhoswen quickly turned her head towards the camp while Link began running towards it. She stared wide eyed for a moment before jumping to her feet and following in tow. "Hey! Wait for me!"

'Why are they pulling down the camp? Me and Link are supposed to set off towards Hyrule Castle tomorrow. What's going on?' Rhoswen thought worriedly as she struggled to catch up with Link.


	7. Chapter 5 - Go our separate ways

They had only been gone for about half an hour, what could have happened in that short of time? Link ran across the field past paced towards the gypsy campsite that was being disassembled in front of his eyes. When he arrived he maneuvered his way through the campsite towards the center, which was now easier that there were fewer tents everywhere. As he was traversing the pathways, he heard a familiar voice off to the side. Coming to a halt and looking, he saw Grandma Vanabia giving orders to men that were disassembling a large tent.

"Bring it down together, men. Together I said! We need this camp taken down before noon." Grandma Vanabia blared out to the frustrated looking men with her hands on her hips. She looked irritated to Link, so he approached her with caution.

"Grandma Vanabia, what's going on? Why are all the tents being taken down?"

Grandma Vanabia spun her head quickly to look at him, and Link could clearly see she was more worried than irritated. "There you are. Where's Rhoswen? What happened to you two this morning?" She swiftly walked over to him, her eyes wide and showing the fear that they held within them.

"Rhoswen and I woke up early this morning and went just outside the camp to talk." Link looked around. "We came back when we saw tents coming down, and she was just behind me at the time. I must have lost her though."

No sooner had Link uttered the words, than a huffing and puffing Rhoswen came around the corner behind them. Stumbling, she walked over to Link and leaned on his shoulder for support. "What the heck were you thinking, leaving me back there like that?" She scolded him while gasping for air. "And do you run marathons for fun or something? I mean, holy crap, are you fast. Morning, Grandma Vanabia."

Grandma Vanabia didn't respond to the morning greeting however, instead she went behind them and started herding them away. "We haven't got time to stand around now, things are moving faster than anticipated."

"What do you mean faster? What's going on?" Rhoswen asked as she struggled to gain stability against Vanabia's pushing and urging.

"I'll explain back at my brother's wagon. There is no time now; we must hurry." Growing impatient, Grandma Vanabia grabbed them by the wrists and began to lead them, almost dragging them, to Grandpa Mivka's wagon at the other end of the camp. Link and Rhoswen had trouble keeping up, and both felt as if Grandma Vanabia would pull their arm out of their socket any second. Something was wrong, dreadfully wrong.

Along the way, tents were being taken down and wagons were being loaded with worldly possessions and necessities. Everywhere Link and Rhoswen looked, people's faces had alarm and apprehension written across them. In truth, most of the people here had no idea what exactly was going on at the moment. The only thing they knew was that the elders had had an emergency meeting that morning, resulting in a hasty and immediate leave of camp. Many assumed that Grandma Vanabia had had another of her foreboding visions during the night again; she had been having a lot of those lately.

At the outskirts of the quickly diminishing camp, Vanabia pulled the two stunned teens just outside of Grandpa Mivka's wagon. There, they met Grandpa Mivka and Avko surrounded by items strewn across the grass and packs being filled in front of them.

"Have you found everything they'll be needing yet?" Grandma Vanabia asked the men, her eyes full of worry and fear.

"Mostly. The question here is whether or not they'll be able to carry it all it without a horse." Grandpa Mivka muttered through the pipe in his mouth. "They may have to go without less necessary items."

"Can someone PLEASE tell us what's going on right now?" Rhoswen pleaded. She was fully confused and beginning to feel terrified.

"I had another vision last night." Grandma Vanabia bent over to sort through the items on the ground, her voice shaken and distressed. "In it, I saw the dark forces from my previous dreams advancing towards Hyrule Castle. I also saw them carefully sneaking their way around the edges of Hyrule, slowly working their way in towards the center." She stopped what she was doing and looked right at Link and Rhoswen. "You two must leave immediately, you must reach the capitol before they do to warn the people. The kingdom, if not the world, is depending upon it right now."

Link and Rhoswen looked at each other in disbelief and fear. They were supposed to have spent today learning more about Hyrule and the path they would be taking through it. They had only briefly gone over it yesterday. This couldn't be happening, not now. They were in no way prepared for this so suddenly.

Standing up, Grandma Vanabia strode quickly over to them and embraced them in a hug both at once. "I know this is a lot for both of you to take in, but right now is not the time to question. Now is the time to act. We will try to make sure you know everything you need to know for certain while we prepare you for your trip to Hyrule." She gave them a quick squeeze before stepping back and releasing them.

"Now is not the time to get sentimental, Vanabia." Grandpa Mivka remarked flatly as he examined a lantern.

Grandma Vanabia turned her head, and looked at him through slit eyes. "Shut it, Mivka."

Avko suddenly stood up and walked away, causing everyone to look at him and where he was going. A woman was quickly making her way over towards the group. In her arms she seemed to be carrying a pair of brown boots. When she reached Avko, the two embraced momentarily. Vanabia briskly walked over to them.

"Did you find a suitable pair, Mishla?" Vanabia eagerly enquired her. The woman nodded in response and held out the shoes to her. Vanabia thanked her and took the boots in her arms. "Rhoswen come over here." Rhoswen hesitated a moment before heading over to her. Squatting down on the ground, Link began examining the candidate items for the journey.

"Mishla, I want you to go and gather provisions for their packs; enough for two weeks." Vanabia asked her, to which the woman responded with a nod and quickly left. Grandma Vanabia turned her attention to Rhoswen, who was now standing patiently behind her.

"Here, put these on," Grandma Vanabia said, thrusting the boots at Rhoswen. "These will be much better for the road than the shoes you have now. However, these may be a bit big on you."

Rhoswen examined the boots that had been placed in her possession. They were knee high boots made of thick, brown leather that laced up the front. She gaged the heel to be about an inch, or maybe even an inch and a half. She was never good with size estimations. Sitting down on the ground, she pulled off the soft shoes she had been given previously and wiggled her toes within her socks. Loosening the laces of the right boot, she pulled the mouth apart and slid her foot in. Pulling the laces tight and securing them, she repeated the process with the left boot. Behind her, Link was rustling through a pile of small scrolls when something caught his eye.

The boots fit her rather well, albeit they were slightly wide compared to her narrow feet. Standing up and taking a few steps back and forth through the grass, Grandma Vanabia watched her with studying eyes. Rhoswen finally came to the conclusion that the extra width wouldn't inhibit her walking or cause any discomfort. Looking at Grandma Vanabia, Rhoswen could tell by her raised eyebrow that she wanted to know if they fit well enough or not.

"The boots fit me almost perfectly; just a little extra wiggle room is all." Grandma Vanabia smiled at that, although her smiled was laced with sadness. Rhoswen somewhat choked her next words. "Thank you."

"You are welcome, my Child."

"Umm… question." Link piped up from his seat on the ground, a few of the scrolls lay out before him.

"Hm?" Grandpa Mivka grunted gruffly, still focused on his task at hand.

Link held up a map, showing to everyone the one of the scrolls that he had been looking at. "Are all of the maps and papers written in this language?"

Grandpa Mivka looked up at Link and took the pipe out of his mouth. "Yeah, what about it? Don't you know how to read?"

"Oh, I can read alright. I just can't read" Link waved his hand at whatever was on the scroll."-this. Rhoswen, can you make heads or tails of this?"

Rhoswen bounded over in her new-ish boots and looked over his shoulder at the map. She sucked in her cheeks in thought as she examined the symbols written on the page. She released her cheeks with a loud pucker before she spoke. "Nope. Can't say I do."

Grandma Vanabia, Grandpa Mivka, and Avko all looked at Link and Rhoswen in shock. Shocked that neither of these two could read the common language of the land that they were about to travel on their own. Shocked that no one had thought of this before now. It was so important, yet easily over looked.

"This isn't good at all." Grandma Vanabia's voice quaked anxiously. "How are we supposed to expect you to travel through Hyrule quickly if neither of you can't even read Hylian runes?! You won't even be able to read the road signs, let alone the map."

Everyone was silent, the air filled with hopelessness and dejection. No one moved. No one spoke. All Link could think about was how their newfound illiteracy made their mission seem so much more hopeless now. Rhoswen had the same thought as well, but there was something else about the map… However, as these thoughts ran through their minds, other thoughts ran through the minds of the rest of the coterie, thoughts about how to remedy the situation. They all knew what had to be done, but no one wanted to admit it. Finally, Mivka spoke up.

"Well, there's no way around it. I guess we'll just have to send someone with them."

"No!" Grandma Vanabia gasped. All eyes turned towards her. "We can't do that. We can't."

"And why not?" Link asked, slightly offended that she had refused so adamantly immediately.

"Because, we never leave one of our own behind, it is the way of our people. We won't leave anyone behind; especially not now with the danger approaching Hyrule so quickly." Grandma Vanabia's eyes held terror at the thought of essentially sending someone close into the wolf's den.

"Oh, but it's okay to send us? Two teens that don't know the land, let alone read the local language?" Link was growing furious by the second. "It's okay to send _**us**_ into the line of fire?"

"That's not what I-"Grandma Vanabia started before being cut off.

"That's enough." Grandpa Mivka said sternly, looking rather grim. "Vanabia, I realize it's important to our people to leave no one behind, the current situation over rules that law of our people. Someone will have to go. I don't like it anymore that you, but that is what must be done right now." Mivka craned his neck to look at Link. "To be perfectly honest, I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of sending the two of you out their either, but the situation is different for the two of you. While our caravan has the option to escape from the oncoming darkness, both of you are needed within the borders of Hyrule to help fight off the oncoming evil. I don't like it, but it's the path that fate has set you on. And who am I to challenge the destiny of another?"

Link grimaced. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say. Looking behind him, he saw Rhoswen looking at the ground very quietly, as though she was in deep thought.

Avko spoke up from behind Vanabia. "I'll go with them."

Vanabia, Mivka, and Link looked at Avko wide eyed and stunned by his sudden offering. Rhoswen was mostly shocked by the fact that this big, quiet man had just spoken. She had thought he was a mute.

"You'll what?" Mivka said quietly, his voice quaking.

"I'll go with them. I'll take them through Hyrule and make sure they safely end up at Hyrule Castle." Avko stated matter-of-factly, his arms crossed in his normal stance. "I'll be their guide."

"Avko, I can't allow you to do that." Grandpa Mivka objected sternly, his voice still slightly wavering.

"Then tell me, who else is going to volunteer, father?" Avko looked right at him defiantly.

"Father!?" Rhoswen exclaimed loudly before her brain could seal her mouth. Everyone stared at her as she slapped her hand over her mouth. "Sorry." She mumbled from behind her clasped hand.

Grandpa Mivka's gaze returned to Avko. "Avko, my son, I cannot allow you to venture back into Hyrule. I cannot, and will not, send you into the dangers that await there."

Suddenly, Rhoswen's eyes lit with remembrance and realization. "I'VE GOT IT!" She blurted out, this time not bothering to cover her blunder. "I finally put my finger to it!"

"Finally put your finger to what, you nose?" Scoffed Mivka. These outbursts were starting to get on his nerves.

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny." Rhoswen replied mockingly. "I just realized why the writing on that map seemed so familiar. I'll be right back. No body move." And with that, she whipped herself around and ran towards the remaining skeleton of the camp without waiting for a response.

Running as fast as she could, Rhoswen rushed through the camp towards Grandma Vanabia's tent, hoping that is was untouched or at least her stuff was untouched. Her hair was flying behind her as she ran along and her skirt was flowing behind her legs. When she reached the tent, men were packing everything up and placing it in a wagon. Moving between the men, she searched for her backpack but it was nowhere in sight.

"Has anyone seen my stuff?" She begged franticly. She had to find it; it was the only other remedy to the situation at the moment. If she was right, that is. And she desperately hoped she was.

"Your stuff?" A large, hairy man carrying a rolled up rug looked at her confused.

"M-my backpack and my lu-lunch bag." She stammered quickly, her mind worriedly moving a thousand miles a minute about where it might be in all this chaos. "Ones teal and the others white with flowers, about this big and square." She gestured her hands in the approximate sizes.

"Oh those." Another man that was hoisting up one end of a dresser replied. "Grandma Vanabia had us set those off to the side. They're by the wagon we're loading all this crap in."

Rhoswen's face beamed. "Thanks!" She responded before rushing out the tent. Franticly searching around, she saw where the wagon was and rushed over. Anxiety first struck her mind when she couldn't find her stuff anywhere. But it soon dispersed when she discovered it hiding behind a large, wooden trunk waiting to be loaded on the wagon. She checked her bag real quick just to make sure, and smiled when she saw the thick, green book. Slinging the pack over her shoulder and grasping the straps of the lunch bag, she rushed off back to Link and the others.

The new additions added weight, but she tried to compensate by adding more speed to her pace. The path was even clearer now with less and less tents still standing, meaning she could get back to everyone faster. About the only ones left were the large ones that had more items that needed removed before being torn down.

Rhoswen had been gone about 8 minutes when she finally made it back. Avko and Mivka were still arguing about accompanying them on their journey, with Link and Vanabia interjection their opinions. They hardly noticed Rhoswen was back until she dropped her bags to the ground with a large _THUD_! They all focused eyes on her as she opened her bag and pulled out the large green book.

"Link, could you hand me that map, please?" Rhoswen asked hunched over on the ground, flipping through the colorful pages.

"Uh, sure." Link responded baffled. Bending over and picking it up off the ground, he gingerly picked up the yellowing, tattered paper and walked it over to her. Rhoswen positioned in such a way that he had a hard time seeing any part of the book. "Here." He held out the map to her.

"Thanks," She muttered, reaching up to grab the map without looking up from her book. She set in on the ground next to her and flipped a few more pages of her book. "AHA!" She exclaimed when she found the page she was looking for. She glanced back and forth at the map and her page before her face twisted itself into a look of annoyed determination. "Nope, not that one. Although that wouldn't have helped us much anyways."

Rhoswen flipped a few more pages and stole another glance at the map. "Or that one." She muttered as she flipped more pages, then grasped the remaining page and began to flip through them at a slightly faster pace.

"Um… what are you trying… to find?" Link asked as he tried to peer over her shoulder, but she kept adjusting herself out of his view, as though annoyed by his intrusion.

Rhoswen suddenly stopped her flipping, and turned a few pages back. She glanced back and forth at the map and her book, then triumphantly placed her book on the ground. "I found it!" She exclaimed as she reached for her bag, pulling out a notebook and began searching for a pencil.

"Found what?" Grandma Vanabia asked quizzically, baffled by Rhoswen's actions.

Link examined the page that now lay open for all eyes to see. He couldn't make out much from his standing height, other than it seemed like some kinda of compendium for something or another. He bent down to examine the pages as Rhoswen fumbled around in her bag. His eyes widened and his body froze when he realized what the book was about.

'This is about the Legend of Zelda. This is about my game.' He thought wide-eyed to himself. Looking at the contents of the pages, it seemed to be Rhoswen's equivalent of The Hyrulian Archives. The page was decorated with characters and information, but what caught his attention was the box at the bottom of the left-hand page. His face lit up with hope and joy.

"Found what?" Grandma Vanabia repeated, somewhat peeved that she hadn't been responded to.

"Aha, here we go." Rhoswen muttered as she pulled out a pencil. Then turned her attention to Grandma Vanabia with a big grin on her face. "Only just the answer to our problems."

"The… answer? And what answer is that?" Asked Grandpa Mivka, just as baffled as his sister.

"Only a translation chart for converting Hylian runes into the English alphabet." Rhoswen casually bragged as she began to copy the contents of the page into her notebook. "Meaning Link and I can now decipher the map on our own, not to mention all the signs along the way."

Everyone stood there dumbfound as Rhoswen continued to copy down the conversion chart. Link, intrigued and curious about what other secrets the book held, carefully began to lift the corner of the page and began to slowly turn the page. Rhoswen promptly reached over and smacked his hand.

"I'm not done yet." She said flatly as Link rubbed the back of his hand in an attempt to soothe it.

"You mean you had the answer all along, and neglected to inform us of it? Instead, letting us bicker amongst ourselves about how we would go about resolving the issue, agonizing over abandoning our cultures morals in order to give you a guide? Causing strife between father and son?" Fumed Grandma Vanabia, immensely annoyed by the situation.

Rhoswen looked up from her note book and meet Vanabia's expression with her own annoyed facial expression. "I didn't know if my hunch was right or not, and I didn't get false hopes up. Thankfully, my hunch was right and we can now translate Hylian into English. I'm sorry for the previous argument, but I didn't even connect the dots until halfway through."

Grandma Vanabia glowered; she wanted to reprimand Rhoswen for talking back in such a way, for disrespecting her elders, and for allowing such heartache to continue on. And she was about to, but Grandpa Mivka spoke first.

"Vanabia, what's done is done. Be thankful for the turn of events. Fate has looked kindly on us thus far; I wouldn't tempt it with your temper." Mivka warned her, replacing the pipe in his mouth.

Grandma Vanabia's eye twitched before spinning around and walking away. "I have other things I must ready for their journey."

Nobody spoke until Vanabia was a good distance away into the skeleton that was once the camp.

"Well that was unexpected and stressful." Sighed Grandpa Mivka, blowing out a stream of thin smoke. "Well, back to business. We still need to figure out what you need to take with you that you can carry. Are you finished writing down the translations?"

Rhoswen quickly finished scribbling something down. "There. I am now." Slamming the book shut, she tore out the paper and began to fold it up, but stopped when a thought occurred to her. "Maybe we should test it to make sure it accurately translates Hylian runes."

"That would probably be a smart idea." Link replied, looking longingly at the big, green book that lay closed in the grass. He wanted to read it so bad; he wanted to find out how she saw him, how she knew him.

Rhoswen unfolded the partially folded paper and began comparing it to the map once more. She scrunched her brow as she tried to mentally connect the dots and figure out the words. "Fu-fu-fulr. Fulrah…Fulrad." She stumbled along as she tried to piece the letters together. "Fulrad ri… Does Fulrad River sound familiar to anyone?"

Both Grandpa Mivka and Avko responded from their sorting, confirming Fulrad River was the correct translation. Link's ears perked right up at the familiar term.

"Fulrad River?" He asked her eagerly, looking over her shoulder at the map.

"Yeah, it's right there." Rhoswen pointed to it on the map, then looked back at him quizzically. "How do you know it?"

"It's the main river in The Epic of Wilhelm." He explained. "Wow, Fulrad River. I can't believe it actually exists. I can't wait to see it."

"Really? Huh, I wonder if there are any land marks I'll recognize." Rhoswen pondered aloud as she continued to translate a different part of the map, her finger marking her place. "Umm… Hyrule Castle; well that one checks out. Uh... De… death… death… death mou… Death Mountain!? Speak of the devil."

"What? You recognize Death Mountain?" Link asked, a little astonished she found one so quickly.

"Yeah. It's only, like, a major landmark in the series." She turned her head to look back at Mivka. "Hey, is Death Mountain a volcano here, Grandpa Mivka?"

"Yes, but it's been dormant for hundreds of years." Mivka answered, not looking up from his work.

"IT'S A VOLCANO!?" Link exclaimed, shrieking a little bit.

"Ow, not in my ear." Rhoswen stiffly said in a higher pitched voice. "And, yes, it's a volcano." Link just stayed knelt where he was behind Rhoswen, looking off into space very disturbed and a bit frighten by the news.

"Well, I think this shows that the translation is reliable. At least so far." Rhoswen finally decided. Folding up the paper, she held open the neck of her shirt, and reaching inside, fumbled as she stored the ever so important chart in her bra. After adjusting herself to make sure everything was back in its proper place, she looked up and saw Link, Avko, and Mivka staring at her wide eyed in disbelief.

"What? I don't have pockets." She asked as though it was perfectly normal. "'Side's, it's probably safer than pocket anyways. It's harder to get to without me noticing, and it's held securely in place." She defended.

Mivka just hung his head and gave an exasperated sigh as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Hey, do you mind if I look at your book?" Link asked, still wanting to read the knowledge filled archive she had in her possession.

"Yeah, I guess. But we still need to get ready." Rhoswen shrugged.

"I'm just gonna flip through it real quick. I just want to get a better idea about my game series." Link said as he reached for the green hardback book just lying on the grass in front of him. He could almost feel himself beginning to drool at the thought of what he might learn from within its pages.

Just as he was about to grasp the book, a faint light began to surround the book and the rest of Rhoswen's stuff that commanded everyone's attention. Link pulled his hand back as the faint glittering appeared around the book. Suddenly, all of Rhoswen's belonging were surrounded in a blanket of golden light, as though they were candy in gold foil wrappers. In an instant, the light flashed out of existence, along with Rhoswen's backpack, lunch bag, and valued book.

"MY BOOK!" Rhoswen screamed in agony after her precious book. Link just sat on the ground; tears of distress fighting to make an appearance.

* * *

An hour and a half later, their preparations for the journey were ready. Link and Rhoswen each had a pack filled with varying supplies they would need to take with them. Mishla had put together a food pack for each of them, filled with rations and a leather flask. Grandma Vanabia had found two thick cloaks for each of them that now covered them and their baggage that hung from them.

They stood on the outskirts of what once had been the camp, but was now just a field filled with wagons of all shapes and sizes, facing Grandma Vanabia, Grandpa Mivka, and a small crowd of onlookers. Behind them two horses with riders were being prepared to carry them to the base of the mountains, where they would enter a cave leading into a network of underground tunnels that (if traversed correctly) would take them out the other side and into Hyrule where their journey to the capitol could truly begin.

Link and Rhoswen stood there, fidgeting nervously in front of the two elders. Neither one was quite sure what to say; and the group of voyeurs wasn't helping much. Okay, it wasn't helping at all; it was actually making the situation worse.

"So, I guess this means good-bye then." Link had finally fumbled around enough in his head that he had put somewhat of a sentence together. Hopefully someone else would say something to add to the conversation.

"Yeah." Rhoswen said, looking down at the ground off to the side. Link mentally rolled his eyes. Something more than just one word.

"Indeed, the time has come for us to part ways." Grandpa Mivka responded, removing the pipe from his mouth. "And I doubt we'll meet again anytime soon. So this may be the final farewell between us."

"But before we separate, we would like to present you each with a gift." Vanabia said, pulling out a bundle wrapped in linen from underneath the shawl wrapped around her waist.

"Oh no, we couldn't, you've already done so much for us." Rhoswen said quickly. They had already given them all of the rupees they had in the camp (valuing in about 520 in total); she didn't want to rob them any further.

"We've taken special care to make sure that you didn't resemble our people in anyway," Grandma Vanabia continued to speak and unwrap the parcel, acting as though she hadn't heard Rhoswen's objection. "We made sure that your clothes were of Hylian appearance. Many outsiders view us Talrae as vermin, thieves, and menaces; and we did not want to bring that upon you. However, we gift to you these, made in the style of our people." She lifted off the final fold and held out her hands to reveal two identical daggers ornately decorated, each with its blade hidden inside a leather sheath that had been hand tooled. "Please take these as a sign of our friendship."

Both Link and Rhoswen looked in awe as they reached out and each took a dagger. Rhoswen slowly pulled hers out of its sheath, revealing it to be a roman style dagger that came to a sharp point. She quickly placed the blade back inside. Link was busy examining the workmanship on the sheath. He ran his fingers along the delicately hand tooled plant life that decorated the dark leather. Feeling on the back, he realized there was a loop for wearing it on a belt. Undoing the belt around his waist, he began to fix the dagger to it.

"Thank you," Rhoswen thanked her with a melancholy smile on her face, clutching the dagger close to her chest. "For everything."

Link secured the belt around his waist once more, now adorned with his new dagger. He looked up at Vanabia, then Mivka. "We're truly indebted to all of you for all you've done for us."

"It's not like we had much of a choice in the matter," Mivka smirked, as though it was part of a joke. "You two weren't much trouble any ways."

Rhoswen was fighting with her cloak as she struggled to place her dagger within her pack when one of the men behind her and Link spoke up.

"Grandpa Mivka, Grandma Vanabia, we're ready to go anytime."

"I guess it's time for us to go then." Rhoswen said solemnly, looking down at the ground.

She was surprise when Grandma Vanabia once again seized her and Link in a giant hug, holding them tighter and closer this time. Vanabia held them for a few moments before speaking softly to them. "I know this is a lot for the two of you to handle, even more now that so many lives are depending upon you. You may not believe me, but know that I believe in you and your ability to accomplish this task that fate has set before you." She gave them a quick squeeze before releasing them and taking a step back. She had a sullen smile on her face, but her eyes held a sparkle to them. "Now go, fulfill your destiny."

Link and Rhoswen could only give half felt smiles as the two riders ushered them to the horses. The smiles weren't half felt because they didn't like Grandma Vanabia or because they didn't appreciate her speech, but because of all the sadness and dour that filled the air at the moment. They had only known Vanabia and Mivka for roughly a day, but the two elders had already earned a special space in their hearts.

The Link struggled as one of the riders attempted to help him mount one of the horses, even trying on his own he couldn't quite make it up there. Rhoswen, however, politely refused help.

"No thank you," She said sweetly, "I wanna try by myself first."

"Are you sure?" The tall, thin man asked her in a questioning voice. He had a hard time imagining this small girl getting up on the horse all by herself; she wasn't that tall or strong looking. (Indeed, Rhoswen only stood about 5'1" at her straightest.)

"Yup." Rhoswen resounded confidently.

"Have you ever mounted a horse before?"

"Nope."

"Okay…" The man said doubtfully as she began to eye the horse, looking for the best mounting method. Link looked over; half flopped over the horse's rear. He was having a tough time as it was, how the hell did she expect to get on the horse all by herself?

Rhoswen began slowly backing up, calculating her course of action in her mind. When she was about ten feet away from the horse, she ran towards it. Facing the rear of the horse and grasping onto the straps that held the saddle blanket in place, she swung herself up with all her might lifting her left leg in the air, and tracing the rump of the horse with her foot, slung herself across its back with seemingly ease.

Everyone stared at her as she sat on the back of the horse, not believing the feat she had just completed before them. Link glared over at her with jealousy, but her face was too busy smiling with pride to notice.

"Well, what are we waiting for, let's go?" She asked gleefully as her rider climbed in front of her, not even aware that Link wasn't mounted.

With a final heave and some additional help from the crowd, Link was helped into a sitting position on the rump of his horse. The man from the crowd had to help keep Link steady as his rider climbed on board. Once he was on, Link held on to his back and slumped as low as he could, hoping to disappear.

Mivka nodded to the riders, and they began to move the horses slowly in the direction of the mountains. Link looked back to Grandpa Mivka, who nodded to him. Link gave him a nod of his own in return. Rhoswen looked back and waved to Grandma Vanabia. Grandma Vanabia lifted her arm and gave a small wave.

"Farewell, my child."


	8. Chapter 6 - Panic in the Darkness

'_**Tabdak tabdak tabdak' **_

The sound of rushing hoof beats faded off into the distance as the riders returned to the rest of the Talrae to continue on their journey south away from Hyrule. Link and Rhoswen stood at the entrance to the cave, watching their silhouettes disappeared into the distance over the fields and into the line of trees as the feel of truly being on their own set it.

"Sooo… I guess we go into the cave now?" Link asked, looking at Rhoswen for some sort of indication.

Rhoswen looked at Link, then back at the cave entrance. The opening seemed to be carved into the naked, hard dirt of the hillside. Standing 8 feet high with a slim point at the top widening out to the ground at roughly 5 feet at its widest, it resembled half an eye staring at them ominously through the darkness within. Rhoswen gulped down the anxiety from everything building in her throat. "It's rather dark in there…" She softly muttered shrinking back from the cave.

"That's why they sent up with these." Link said rummaging in his pack and pulling out a large, frosted glass sphere that took his entire hand to grasp, even then he only covered half of the sphere. Running around the center of the orb was a thin metal band.

"And that is…?" Rhoswen implied that she was clueless.

"This is a Lumisphaer." Link explained. "It's some magic device that they use to provide light. Kinda like a lamp. Apparently more elaborate ones can last for weeks, even months, continuously. The ones we have are just simple ones though; they last about four hours, tops."

"So, how do you turn it on? I don't see any buttons or anything…" Rhoswen noted, eying the Lumisphaer.

"Apparently you just twist the metal band like so…" Link said as he fidgeted with the orb, grasping it with both hands. It wouldn't budge. He squeezed it harder, twisting it harder and harder until he was twisting with all his strength. Rhoswen looked at him irritably in disbelief.

"Lemme see it." She demanded, holding out her hand.

"I've just about got it…" Link said as he struggled with the Lumisphaer. "Almost…

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, for the love of Pete, just give it to me before you break it."

Link huffed. "I doubt you'll fare much better…" He grumbled as he handed over the glass orb.

Grabbing the Lumisphaer, she looked at him with a glare that screamed 'Watch me'. With a quick movement of her wrist, Rhoswen turned the metal ring the opposite direction that Link had been twisting it. She was rewarded with a soft glow of light, that slowly grew to equal the bright shine of a fluorescent light bulb. Her expression changed to a smug look of 'I told you so' as she continued to look at Link. He just looked at the globe in disbelief.

"Why didn't I think of that?" He muttered to himself.

"I dunno, do I live in your brain?" Rhoswen asked, shrugging her shoulder and holding out the Lumisphaer. "Come on, let's get going. The clocks ticking on this thing."

Link grabbed the orb from her. "Do you have the map for the tunnels Grandma Vanabia gave you?"

"Sure do! It's right…" She opened her pack and delved through it a bit before pulling out a rolled up piece of paper. "…here!" She held it up triumphantly.

Link snickered; he couldn't help himself. "Nah-nah-nah-NAAAAAAAAAAH! You got a map!" He gleefully blurted out. Rhoswen just blinked at him blankly, causing Link to freeze as he reevaluated his actions that may or may not have just made him look like a fool.

Rhoswen's blank expression changed after a moment when the corners of her turned up into a stiff smile and her eyes sparkled with humor. She couldn't hold it back anymore; she doubled over and burst out in laughter. Link blinked at her a few times before joining in the laughter with her own. They just laughed for a minute before either of them said anything.

Standing up while he was still huffing with laughter, he spoke to her. "Come on, looks like we've got a lot to talk about while we make our way through the mountain."

"Totally." Chortled Rhoswen as she followed Link into the mountainside; holding the map out in front of herself as she ventured forth into the unknown.

* * *

Three hours and a long conversation comparing each other's worlds later, Rhoswen sat on a rock squinting at the map struggling to read it with the dim light the Lumisphaer was now struggling to produce. Link stood behind her, holding up the Lumisphaer while peering over her shoulder.

"Well?" He asked concerned, hoping for a good answer.

Rhoswen slammed the map now on her legs. "That's it, we're lost; Game Over!" She exclaimed dramatically. "I can't really make heads or tails of this map, but I sure can tell I haven't a clue where we are!"

Link groaned and sat down on the ground in defeat. "Great. Now what? I can't remember the way we came, can you?" Rhoswen shook her head. Link groaned once more and flopped on his back. "Perfect… just perfect."

Rhoswen sighed. "Look, I'm no expert on the subject, but it seems to me the smart thing to do right now would be to keep moving. Just sitting here isn't going to get us anywhere. How many Lumisphaer's do we have left anyways? "

Link groaned as he returned to a sitting position. Opening his bag, he began to count them. "Five." He responded. "Hopefully that'll be enough to last us until we get out of these cursed tunnels."

"Well, let's not waste a single second of light and get going." She stood up and straightened her skirt and cloak. "Come on."

Grumbling, Link begrudgingly got himself to his feet. "Fine, but this time I lead."

"Fine, whatever." Rhoswen said as she threw her hands in the air. "Just as long as we get moving."

Traveling through the tunnels, Link and Rhoswen traveled in silence as Link choose the way whenever they came across forks and shoot offs. Link held the ever dying Lumisphaer in front of them like a beacon, struggling to make out what was up ahead in the dark.

"I sure hope there aren't monsters roaming these tunnels." Rhoswen said quietly as the mysteriousness of the darkness spread fear through her mind. "I don't think I'd be very good in a fight."

"I don't think there are any monsters roaming around here. I think Grandma Vanabia or Grandpa Mivka would have told us something." Link responded coolly.

"Yeah, but they expected us to stay on the correct path. What if farther into the mountain monsters and creatures of the darkness roam, staying away from mortal eyes? And what if we're on the edge, if not already there, of the territory of which they wander?" Rhoswen began to freak as her imagination became more and more wild. "I'M TO YOUNG TO DIE!"

Spinning around, Link pinned her up against the wall and clasped his hand over her mouth. Rhoswen stared at him wide-eyed with fear. "Will you shush?" He said slowly through clenched teeth. "I doubt there are any monsters or unworldly creatures here. But if there are, your screaming sure as hell will draw their attention. Understand?" Rhoswen slowly nodded yes, still startled and scared. Link pulled his hand from her mouth and stepped back a few paces. "Come on, let's continue."

As Rhoswen tremblingly stepped forward nervously, a low, moaning, rumbling sound from deep within the system of tunnels came pouring out from the way they had just come from. Rhoswen jumped back and clasped her hand over her mouth to stifle her shriek. Link jumped in his boots and snapped his head in the direction of the sound.

"Just rocks tumbling down, I'm sure." He nervously assured Rhoswen and himself. As though in response, the sound came once more, this time it seemed louder and closer.

That was the final straw. Out of self-preservation, both Link and Rhoswen fled down the tunnel, away from the strange noises that seemed to be advancing upon them. Rhoswen grasped on to Link's cape to make sure she didn't get separated from him. They hardly watched where they were going, which wasn't very hard since the Lumisphaer was almost out of light. They stumbled over stones and leapt over roots and boulders as they rushed through the mountain.

Suddenly, with a flickering, the Lumisphaer went out, leaving them both trapped in the darkness. Rhoswen shrieked as the sudden darkness invaded them without a hesitation.

"Get a new one, get a new one!" She hastily begged as she clung to his cloak even more.

"I'm trying, I'm trying." Link responded as he fumbled with his bag in the dark. His fingers turned to thumbs as he place the dead Lumisphaer in the opposite end of the bag from unused ones. Working at his fastest, he pulled a new one out of his pack, but as he attempted to grasp the orb and twist the metal band, it slip from his hand and hit the ground with a soft thud before secretly rolling away.

"Fuck." He said as he bent down.

"What was that?" Rhoswen said in a strained meek voice.

"I dropped it." Link muttered as he blindly felt around for the missing orb.

"You what!?" Rhoswen exclaimed in a high pitch voice.

"I dropped the new Lumisphaer." He said in a flustered and troubled as he stretched out his arm all around in the darkness. "And I can't find it."

Rhoswen wanted to shriek, but all that came out of her throat was a short, high pitched 'eep'. Closing her eyes shut, she prayed a silent prayer in her head that he would find it soon. As Rhoswen was praying for divine intervention in her head, Link saw a faint gleam on the ground nearby. Reaching over and gently tracing it with his fingers, he felt it was the smooth glass of the Lumisphaer.

"Gotcha." He smiled.

"Did you find it?" Rhoswen inquired with her eye's still shut.

"Yup." Stretching his arm out and grasping it, Link brought it in and was about to turn it on when something occurred to him.

The gleam. What had caused the gleam? There had to be a light source to cause a gleam, so where was it coming from. Link scanned the darkness, looking for a sign of light.

"…Link?"

"Yes."

"Aren't you going to turn on the Lumisphaer?" She asked in a frightened voice.

"Hold on, I'm checking for something." Suddenly, his eye's caught a slight glow coming from behind them. Bingo. Standing up, he began moving towards the faint, almost non-existent, glow that came from behind them. "Come on." He whispered back to Rhoswen.

"Why aren't you turning on the Lumisphaer?" She whined, gripping onto his cloak with all her might and tediously following him. "…Link? Why are we going in the direction of the scary noises?"

"Don't you see the glow?" Link asked quietly. "It could be a way out of here."

"A glow?" Rhoswen said under her breath. Searching the pitch blackness, her eyes finally acknowledged the existence of the faint radiance just up ahead. She breathed in sharply, could this be their salvation, the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak?

As they cautiously approached the pale glimmer, it became clear that it was emitting from the wall of the cave. When they finally stood right in front of the source, Link twisted the metal band around the Lumisphaer, illuminating the darkness. The dirt wall had a small opening in it, large enough for them to squeeze through one at a time, but small enough and camouflaged enough that it would be nearly invisible to anyone that happed to walk by it. And those that happed to see wouldn't think twice about, it just appeared to be a crack in the formation.

Link and Rhoswen stared at the wall in awe.

"I might be able to squeeze my way through, can you?" Rhoswen inquired, not trusting the appearance of the crack.

"I…I think so." Link murmured. It looked like if he moved his body just right, he might be able to shimmy his way through. Maybe.

"Good, you go first then."

"What! Why?" Link demanded, looking at her offended.

"Because I don't want to be the one that discovers all the creepy crawlies up ahead!" Rhoswen said, crossing her arms. "I might end up like that one poor dude in Raiders! No way do I want a back covered in tarantulas!"

"What? Never mind." She was so confusing at times. "Look, I don't wanna be the one that goes first cause what if I get stuck and can't unstick myself? You're smaller; you should be the one to go first!"

"NO! What if I get stuck!"

"It's better than me getting stuck in that same spot!"

Rhoswen groaned and shook her head. "We're not going to get anywhere arguing back and forth. How about we play rock paper scissors to decide who goes first?" Rhoswen stuck out her hand at Link. "Best two out of three?"

Link made a sound that was a mix between a sigh and a groan before grasping her hand and giving it a firm shake. "Best two out of three."

Rhoswen grinned playfully as they prepped themselves. "Okay, 1…2…3… GO!"

Quick as lightening, Link and Rhoswen recited the game's chant.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOW!"

Slamming their fists in the palms of their hands, Link and Rhoswen revealed their choices to each other. Rhoswen grinned, playfully snipping the scissors her fingers formed, until she noticed Link's fist. A fist that was conveniently in the shape of a rock. He looked at her with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Never challenge the Master." He warned.

Rhoswen's face twisted in annoyance. "We still have two more rounds. It's still anyone's game."

"Not if I win one more game." Link replied smugly as he stanced himself once more. "Ready? 1…2…3, Go!"

Once again, the chant flew from their tongues.

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOW!"

Link's smug face faded away as once again Rhoswen snipped her scissor fingers, only this Link's hands represented paper.

"The Master, huh?"

"So I'm more of a Master-in-training. I'll still beat you in the next round. And you'll be the one leading the way through there."

"Yeah right." Rhoswen poised herself. "You talk big, but can you back it up? Cause I don't think you can."

"We'll see who's talking big when I'm following behind you through there." Link retorted, positioning himself for the final round.

"Ready?" Rhoswen asked with serious eyes that held a slight twinkle.

"Ready."

"Rock! Paper! Scissors! SHOW!"


End file.
